There is one interesting habit shared by Picasso, Henry David Thoreau, Da Vinci, C.S. Lewis, Einstein, Schopenhauer, and Mother Theresa…
Solitude.
Technology has made us so connected to others that we’ve become disconnected to ourselves. The individual has dissolved. No drops, just ocean.
However, there’s a paradoxical element beneath major success — viral outcomes are often birthed from solitary confinement.
Listen to the effectiveness of solitude from these 7 highly effective individuals:
…
“Without great solitude no serious work is possible.” — Pablo Picasso
…
“A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free.” ― Arthur Schopenhauer
…
“I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers.” — Henry David Thoreau
…
“If you are alone you belong entirely to yourself. If you are accompanied by even one companion you belong only half to yourself or even less in proportion to the thoughtlessness of his conduct and if you have more than one companion you will fall more deeply into the same plight.” ― Leonardo da Vinci
…
“We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship.” ― C.S. Lewis
…
“I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.” ― Albert Einstein
…
“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature–trees, flowers, grass–grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence…we need silence to be able to touch souls.” — Mother Teresa
…
How can you start making solitude a habit?
Schedule it.
Simple, but effective. Set time aside each day where you make the pre-commitment to disconnect from ALL forms of communication; all forms of social media, from your cell phone, and from your computer.
It’s in solitude that creativity finds its feet. That’s where those 7 great men and women connected with their muse.
Creativity experts point to this crucial solitary state as the perfect environment for incubation. All the disparate information and knowledge that you’ve been exposed to in the fast lane of life finally gets a chance meet, mingle, and collaborate. It is in that process where creativity and new ideas find life.
Start making a daily appointment with solitude.