Matt had an epiphany. A big idea.
In his mind it was as big as the first landing on the moon
or the launch of the first iPhone. So he decided to sit down, switch off from
the rest of the world, with just one thought;
‘Without great solitude no great work is possible’ – Pablo Picasso
But when he tried to ride solo, he tanked. He truly believed
in the Nike Way (you know – just do it with the swoosh). But failed. Again and
again.
The good news is that Matt is not alone in this dilemma.
Many of us have felt like him. The bad news is that a lot of us succumb to the
circumstances and choose not to do anything about it.
We get so used to our routines, it’s difficult to unshackle.
We give in to our coffee cravings, trending tweets, multi-tasking and
mediocrity. So when the time comes to follow our dreams, we become Matt -
scattered and all over the place.
Don’t take me wrong. We need routines, habits and discipline
to get things done. But when any of these stand in the way of following the
path we want to pursue, – it’s time to breakaway. Or in the words of Tom
Peters:
If it ain’t broke, break it (or someone will do it for you.)
However, before we do anything drastic and breakaway from
tradition, the question remains - how do we pick up the pieces and help Matt?
In my opinion, once we are clear of what we want to do, the
first step is to learn to be comfortable in our own skin so that we are able to
listen to our inner voice, our trust that our inner gauge will guide us.
To do this, part of the solution lies in embracing solitude
from time to time.
Yes. Solitude. Now one might think that being alone might
hurt our ability to collaborate, and run with the herd. On the contrary,
research shows that working on solo projects can do wonders for our confidence
and creative ability. Additionally, this habit can make us better contributors
and collaborators.
Because collaboration is more than just being part of the
team. It’s about bringing something unique to the conversation. And this only
happens when we have been able to stand out of the crowd every now and then.
Also, we must understand that solitude is different than
loneliness.
Sherry Turkle in her book Reclaiming Conversation draws a
great distinction between the two. She defines, loneliness as the pain of being
alone, and solitude as the glory of being alone. Easier said than done,
understanding this distinction can be a great start towards achieving something
extraordinary.
In a nutshell, solitude works up a silent revolution inside
you. It’s loud but only you can hear it – if you choose to. It’s a revolution
not a movement. A movement can stop, but a revolution is forever.
This silent whirlpool is best described by Ann Purcell as
The Silence Revolution. She writes,
‘Fulfillment is based on successful action. Effective action
is based on powerful, comprehensive thinking. A powerful thought force is based
on inner silence, just as the most powerful ocean waves arise from a swell from
the ocean’s depths. The more we can experience the state of silence in the
depths of our being—the place from where all thoughts originate and take
shape—the more successful we will be in our undertakings, whether we are an
introvert or extrovert.
Matt broke down because he didn’t understand how to handle
this silent revolution inside him. He was brave enough to - at least try. Many
of us don’t know even try. And the ones who do – very few of them survive.
And the few who survive, find their True North. And finding
your True North is not something we have done. It’s something we keep on
doing.
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