Let me ask you, what’s the point of being really busy in your work life or your personal life if you’re busy around the wrong things? And so what is the antidote to busyness and being reactive? It’s reflection, and it’s not really common in our world right now. A hundred years ago, we would spend a lot of time on the farm. There wasn’t a lot of technology. We spent a lot of time in reflection, taking these long walks, writing in a journal, having conversations with intimate friends, where we would reflect on deeper things. And I’m simply suggesting to you that the ritual that will absolutely predict your success is how much time you spend in silence, solitude, and stillness, just thinking. Thinking about how you’re living, thinking about how you’re working, thinking about whether your daily behavior is aligned with your deepest values. Thinking and reflecting about what’s your impact through the work you’re doing. Here’s a great thing to reflect on. Ask yourself this question or write about it in your journal. What is the one project that if I did it flawlessly over the next three months, would literally change the game for me within my organization and within my marketplace? But if you look at the people who are getting traction on great results, they are people who spend a lot of time alone and they spend a lot of time thinking, and they spend a lot of time in this ritual of reflection.
