What Happens When You Choose Solitude? | The Power of Being Alone | Motivational Speeches
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What is the significance of choosing solitude over distractions?
Don't you dare reach for your pocket, I told myself. In fact, take that phone and go put it in another room. Shut your internet off, set your devices to do not disturb, and think. Please, think. You are losing yourself to distractions. Or as Cal Newport puts it, you know, we're in a world that demands more thought, more deep work than ever before while we all simultaneously become more and more incapable of that focus. And to me, it feels like more than a chuckle at our outrageous screen time or a self-deprecating joke about how reliant we are on our phones, the dopamine hit. I think it's antithetical overall to what we need, to where we find our purpose. Which is a dichotomy that's frustratingly true with so many things.
That balance, for me to have a digital business that means so much to me, that I'm so proud of, but also tiptoeing around that same digital world like it's a hungry lion capable of devouring me. That's a real feeling. It's water that's foundational for life, but in too large a quantity will kill. It's the sun that, while integral and responsible for this planet as we know it, also has no problem ending anything that's too openly exposed to its rays, to its heat. There's always a sweet spot between too much and not enough. That happy medium, that intersection is why we're all here. Because when I don't take time to deeply think, when I lose the big picture, I remain in a cycle of routine. And sometimes that's great, right?
Morning routine is great. I don't really have to think about it. I'm programmed. Things like driving a car, as Duhigg explains in The Power of Habit, your foot stepping on the gas. It's involuntary, and thank God for that. But one must be able to step outside that loop and ask the big picture questions. we have to make time to at least roughly chart the course. And it'll change. Life will present its obstacles, but we'll have at least parsed out what matters and what doesn't. When life is all habit and reflex, when you've lost the ability to examine the self because one minute alone with your thoughts is agonizing, well, you won't be able to see past the surface of who you are and what you're capable of.
How can solitude help in reconnecting with oneself?
I want to be clear here. This is not me complaining about perhaps the most prosperous society ever to exist. This is me saying, you know, there are some dangers that we way too easily overlook. That when you outsource your thinking, you outsource your future. And it's not hard to fall into that trap. I just referenced the book Deep Work a few minutes ago. I think it's one of the most important books someone can read in this day and age. You know, Cal Newport talking about separating ourselves from distraction. I remember the day I first listened to that book, I was sick, so I wasn't on my usual run. I was walking, and because of that, I felt this urge to, as the book was playing, to reach into my pocket and check for notifications.
And it really was eye-opening. It's like we are scared to completely immerse ourselves in solitude. But solitude is where we uncover so much silence is where we hear what our souls have to say. It's where we understand who we are. My favorite Joseph Campbell quote, the cave you fear holds the treasure you seek. And man, I hate to say it, but I think being alone, even for a short period of time, is that monster lurking in the cave. You know, the one we're scared to confront, even though it's what we need. Solitude is the demon we are consistently masking in a constant influx of media and small talk and DMs and emails. You know, that stuff has its value, but it's not real in the sense that I find it disconnected from purpose.
So here's something that I've been doing, and, you know, I would suggest that you give it a try. It's been certainly helpful in my life. And start small, even if it's 15 minutes, but take a walk by yourself. No phone. And it's challenging at first because, you know, you want to be consuming something. Even if it's, you know, educational, valuable, still, right? No phone. Solitude. Think about life.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the significance of choosing solitude over distractions?
0:00–3:14
2
How can solitude help in reconnecting with oneself?
3:14–5:40
3
What dangers arise from outsourcing our thinking?
5:40–8:19
4
How does solitude lead to personal growth and understanding?
8:19–11:13
5
What practical steps can one take to embrace solitude?
11:13–16:49
6
How can solitude reveal our true potential and desires?
16:49–22:25
7
What lessons can we learn from challenges and discomfort?
22:25–27:32
8
How can we shift our mindset from scarcity to abundance?
27:32–35:13
Speakers
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