Solitude

The ability to be alone is powerful. I believe not being able to be alone for periods of time hurts personal growth and is also a reflection of how you currently view yourself. If you are scared to be alone with yourself, ask yourself why. The ability to be alone is a learned skill that needs to be utilized in order to achieve maximum potential. I have previously written about the importance of focusing on yourself and firmly believe spending time in solitude, with your own thoughts, in environments fostering deep work, are the most important parts of your days.

Everyone does not like being alone. Some people believe they need the presence of others to feel whole. I would argue and say they do not know what they are missing. I find solitude in early morning runs. Getting lost in my thoughts or having my mind go completely blank when I am alone are some of the main reasons why I enjoy running. The solitude granted in this personal activity is hard to find in other places in my life. I use solitude to work through my problems, come up with new ideas, and reset from the day before. I use solitude as time for myself and the time that I need.

The purpose of this message is not to say you need to run early in the morning to find solitude. I use running both as a workout and as a portal to finding solitude. The more people I listen to, including Jocko Willink, Nick Bare, Cameron Hanes, and David Goggins, the more I see an emphasis on the importance of solitude. Many of them find solitude either in the early mornings or late at night, sometimes both. In an age where we have phones with us all the time blasting constant notifications, getting up before anyone else can make solitude much more accessible in your life. The more I practice the use of solitude in my life, the more I support the purpose of being alone with myself. I am sure I will write a longer piece on how to find “deep work” and how to be the most productive you can be, but I firmly believe I am most productive when I am in solitude. Early mornings before anyone is awake I find it much easier to mark items off of my to-do list and establish the groundwork for the rest of my day.

Solitude can present itself at any time of the day, in nearly any aspect of your life, I believe you just need to make deliberate choices to seek it out. It could be an afternoon walk around your neighborhood with your phone on Do Not Disturb. It could be an early morning sitting at your desk as I have previously mentioned. It could be driving alone with the radio turned down as you watch a sunset. Find something you enjoy, and do it alone without distraction. See what thoughts come into your mind or what thoughts leave your mind. Slipping into solitude can make time with others that much more enjoyable.