Stillness is the key

What is Stillness

One thing is common between all the world-class artists, players, leaders, and creative persons which different religions know in a different name but the meaning is the same i.e "Stillness". It is the art of keeping your mind still in any kind of situation may it be good or bad. We all need stillness in our life. Those who want to do something different, want to produce remarkable work, and who don't want to lead a life in default mode rather want to design their life for themselves Stillness is the key to success. This is not a skill that only monks should know, it is a skill that you should learn and apply in your field, relationships, etc. This art has been kept secret from normal people because if you apply this in your real life you will truly achieve extraordinary results.

In every religion, they talk about one common thing i.e inner peace, and Stillness is said to be the key to a happy and meaningful life.

Today we live in a noisy world where everything demands our attention. We are always surrounded by messages, notifications, and news. Anybody can disturb us whenever they want. Our control over mind and emotions is an extremely difficult task. But through dedication and instructions, we can gradually achieve Stillness. Apart from meditation, there are many day-to-day activities through which Stillness can be achieved.

So today I will talk about 3 principles through which you will reach closer to achieving Stillness.

1. Manage Your Inputs

In 1990 scientists found out about the "CNN effect" which says 24/7 breathless media coverage, updates, and information makes us reactive. Today we have over the limit information and entertainment as much as we don't need. From ancient times our brain has been build in patterns, it always craves novelty and entertainment. Our brain thinks if we consume more information it will increase the chances of our survival, so we spend our precious time watching drama and distractions like news, social media, arguing with people, etc.

American economist and cognitive psychologist Herbert Simon said "A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention". You might not believe this statement but we have a wide variety of information around us and we don't consume something with full focus. We don't train our minds to become still and focus on one task at a time. To solve this problem the author of "4 Hour Work Week" Tim Ferriss found a solution which is named " Low information diet". It means fast for our mind.

Due to the internet, our daily media consumption has increased a lot which includes news, celebrity gossips, etc. But if you think deeply these are useless information. To keep own's body fit we go to the gym, eat green tea and we give attention to our diet. The reason I am telling this is that we have full control over what goes inside our body but we don't have control over our mind because through which now you are reading this can completely manipulate your mind.

We are living in an age where the screen is more dangerous than nuclear weapons. I don't know if you have noticed or not but in most of the advertisements beautiful female models are shown so that they can easily grab our attention. If we can control our urges and ignore our impulses then we can achieve mental toughness and a stable mind. You eat ripe fruits and ignore the decayed ones similarly apply that in media consumption, think before you click.

2. Get Rid of your Stuff

You can achieve mental and spiritual clarity only when your physical things don't need your attention. This means the best car is not which people will stare at, the best car is which needs your least attention. The best cloth is not which is expensive and branded rather in which you are comfortable. Things that you have for ages and you don't even need then sell or donate them. Without having complete control over your surrounding you cannot achieve Stillness. Chinese philosopher Xunzi said, " A smart man makes things his servant and a petty man is servant to things".

3. Build a Routine

Routine is important because when your body is familiar with the activity then your mind will be relaxed and that monotony will become your muscle memory. All the successful people have some routines and that is also one of their strengths. There are different paths to achieve stillness, but the outcome is the same i.e gaining strength, happiness, mental toughness, control over emotions, and inner peace. In this busy 21st century stillness can be your unique skill through which you will be able to handle the toughest situations.

My Opinion

I have learned all these principles from "Stillness is the key" book which I really liked a lot. There are also many other principles which you might love. If you want to read this book I have provided the link - https://amzn.to/3DU2Y1e