Noise makes life complicated. Internal noise, digital noise, external noise. It eats up so much of your brain’s capacity that you tend not to realize when you have stopped having time for the important things you care about. People generally complain that they do not have time. It is because they are preoccupied with adhering to the noise, the unwanted signals. Great things are created in solitude. No one became a great poet without solitude, and no one wrote an all-time blockbuster metal song when they were at unease. Quiet time is an underestimated asset. It is also true that once you have experienced it, you cannot unsee it. You will keep trying to find a quieter life to get the mojo back. In today’s era, what are the things you should quit to make life quieter?
Stop consuming digital information: Information is generally an answer. But if you do not have a question, you do not need an answer; hence, you do not need that information. Take news, for example. It is good to seek information on specific topics that you care about. It is not good to blindly watch whatever is presented to you. It creates unwanted chaos in the mind. Today, AI is so good that it can give you an answer to almost any specific question you have. Spend more time customizing questions rather than seeking answers. For example, ready-made news may present the current scenario of a wildfire in a certain area, but a custom question like “What would be the impact of the wildfire over the next 10 years?” would force AI to dig deeper to find answers specifically “for” you. You make it a tool that only caters to your needs. You do not consume information without a need. The trigger has to be you, not the information.
Stop seeking company all the time: Believe it or not, if you are scared of your own company, you have a serious problem to solve. It is fortunate to have a community that is always there for you in good and bad times. It is good to have family and friends who make you feel alive, who understand you. But it does not give you an excuse to hide from yourself. I have heard so many people mention that they are scared of their own thoughts. If yes, this should be a problem you want to solve. Don’t let company become a hideout for your internal demons. You can only keep others happy if you feel free internally. You can love yourself only when you understand yourself. Find some time every day in your own company—no books, no media, no music. A simple walk in nature, meditation practice, or writing a journal would take you a long way. The next time you hear yourself say, “I cannot be alone,” it simply means you have some work to do.
Stop worrying about the future: A single big mistake people make is skipping the present moment and jumping into the future. It is a signal that either your present moment is full of voids or you have failed to see the beauty in it. In either case, seek the moments you enjoy. Force yourself to be involved; find activities you love. You can certainly plan a bit for the future, but how much actually goes according to plan? People spend their entire lives saving money, dreaming of living after 60; all of a sudden, they discover a terminal disease. Their plan fails. You are just a tiny contributor to your own plans. The rest is the universe, which you cannot control. The only thing you control is the present—how mindful you can be.
Stop comparing your life: Everybody is truly unique in their own way. Society is designed to measure everyone’s strengths and weaknesses with a single scale. They have to do it to maintain order in society. But as an individual, you must understand that their scale does not define your ability. They do not even have a measurement for your ability because it is unique to you. We fail to see our own journey when we start comparing ourselves with others. Everyone has a different starting point. Even journeys that may look similar can be very distinct in reality. We tend to fit everyone into the same shoe. It is truly a thief of joy. You demean your efforts and disrespect yourself the moment you think of others as better or worse than you. Treat everyone in their own unique way, and do the same for yourself.
