A must-read for anyone who knows that they need to slow down but feels guilty doing it. Holiday provides plenty of examples of why stillness really is the key.
Pairs With: Malted Milk Balls – thoughtfully and one at a time.
Overview:
Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday is a must-read for anyone looking for more evidence on why they need to slow down. Similar to his other books, Holiday uses Stoicism and examples from history to support his points. This book focuses on why creating stillness in your life is so important and how to go about doing it.
Let’s Walk
Some of the concepts may not be anything new, such as ‘going for a walk is good for you’, but the anecdotes and explanation of the importance of walking are energizing.
Holiday explains that Nikola Telsa was on a walk when he discovered the rotating magnetic field. Interestingly, years later, Stanford researchers found walkers were more creative thinkers during and after their walk. Also, a study at New Mexico Highlands University “found that the force from our footsteps can increase the supply of blood to the brain” (196). This could all explain why great thinkers such as Ernest Hemingway, Steve Jobs, Charles Darwin, Freud, and Beethoven were avid walkers. I don’t know about you but that’s a brainiac club I’d like to be in! Maybe with more women though. 😉
Applying Stillness
In addition to walking more, I applied the concept of stillness to my own life by slowing down at work. For example, before reading this book I would instantly reply to any email I received. I wanted to be viewed as ‘on it’ and extremely helpful. However, after reading about stillness and creating space – I forced myself to let the emails sit in my inbox. Instead of instantly replying, I would reflect on what my response would be. Interestingly, not responding right away would sometimes work out in my favor as it gave others on the email thread a chance to respond and solve the problem.
Holiday provides many instances where creating space allowed for various situations to work out better. These examples reinforce that slowing down doesn’t mean you don’t care. Actually, it’s because you care that you take a step back, create stillness, and then are able to approach the situation with a clear mind.
Conclusion
This book is your permission slip to slow down, take a breather and find stillness without feeling guilty.
Have you read this book or any of Ryan Holiday’s other works? Let us know what you thought!
