Try Silence For Success
by Miki Saxon
Do you take time to think and reflect or do you stay so connected and engaged that you end up listening to someone else and forming your opinions from their thoughts instead putting in the hard work to think for yourself?
Do you enjoy quiet time or do you find silence scary or even depressing?
Anecdotal evidence shows that while most people are uncomfortable with silence, others are actually terrified by it. Not the silence of a sensory deprivation tank, just natural silence; the silence that come from turning off and unplugging from our wired world. No iPod, cell phone, TV, radio, etc.
But it’s only in silence that
- your mind can wander unfocused down paths you would never think of intentionally;
- unconnected scraps can coalesce to form new ideas;
- you can dig around and learn what actually comprises your MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy)™;
- really get to know yourself; and hopefully
- become best friends with yourself.
I wonder if it was silence that fostered the great thinkers and philosophers of the past as opposed to what passes for wisdom these days. Perhaps the natural silence led to self-knowledge and knowing gave them the ability to formulate their great ideas.
Did the enforced silence of prison nurture Nelson Mandela’s ability to conceive his vision and eventually articulate it to the world?
No matter your age, try it. Unplug and get comfortable—with silence and with yourself.
Make silence your friend and watch your (and your people’s) happiness, satisfaction and creativity soar.
Image credit: Geek&Poke on flickr
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:45 pm
This raises a very good point . . . though I spend a lot of time alone – I do not spend it in silence . . . maybe I should try enjoying a little of that again and turn off the TV that is always on in the back ground!
May 28th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
[…] HBS’ Jim Heskett’s research question on deep thinking to my own comments on the value of silence, the need for undistracted time and the resulting creativity is well […]