Recently, I read Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday, and after enjoying it (spoiler) I decided that I needed to review this one. Philosophy is a topic that resonates with me a lot. And in addition to that, I really liked the earlier work of Ryan Holiday. So letโs jump into it!
๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฌ
๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐จ๐ต๐ฉ: 288 Pages
๐๐ข๐ช๐ฏ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฃ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ด: Philosophy, Stoicism, Psychology
๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ: Fairly Easy
Rating: 8.5/10
The book is divided into 3 parts: Mind, Spirit, and Body. The trifecta of perennial peace. Under these broad topics, come smaller digestible chapters focussing on actions and practices required to achieve the final goal.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ?
Stillness is the state you get into if you when youโre calm, collected and everything seems to move effortlessly. This book is all about gaining stillness in an overstimulated and busy world. This book will help you to be more โstillโ, and Ryan gives you examples of greats who are still and how they acquired that stillness.
Letโs jump to my top-3 takeaways from this book.
My Top-3 takeaways from the Stillness is the Key
1๏ธโฃ Journaling is crucial to gaining mental clarity. I knew deep down that journaling is a great way to clear your head and arrange your thoughts. But after reading this book I decided to make it a habit, I never looked back since!
2๏ธโฃ When enough is enough. We live in an age where โless is more isnโt the main aim, but โmore is what people seek after. Deciding your โenoughโ in many aspects of life will aid you to be still. The constant pursuit of more will never stop. You need to know when you have enough to keep the goalpost from moving.
3๏ธโฃ Itโs okay to say โNOโ. People tend to say โyesโ to every opportunity that comes up. The problem with that is that you canโt possibly be aware and contribute at a high level if you commit to everything. Saying no to some opportunities will make you devote more useful energy to the thing you said โyesโ too.
๐๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐๐ญ
If you want to find more mental clarity (stillness as Ryan refers to it in this book), and you love reading books on philosophy and stoicism then this book could very well be the most wisdom-filled. For me, someone who is 20, the wise adages and sayings of the lives well lived by the fine men and women of this earth, motivate and satiate my soul. They give me hope and inspiration, peace, and resurgence.
Stillness is the keyโฆ
- to thinking clearly
- to seeing the whole chessboard
- to making tough decisions
- to managing our emotions
- to identify the right goals
- to handling high-pressure situations
- to maintaining relationships
- to building good habits
- to being productive
- to physical excellence
- to feeling fulfilled
- to capturing moments of laughter and joy
A book to revisit intermittently, grasp repeatedly and apply immediately.
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