Be Ultra Quiet

The odds are stacked against you.

Everything in your life is external: your friends, family, colleagues, possessions, obligations, and smartphone. With one exception: The Quiet You.

The Quiet You knows that you (I'm making this up) really hate bossing people around, even though you manage a staff of 150. It knows that you're scared of dying, that you really want to be a singer, or that you have never liked your sister.

In other words, The Quiet You is you, stripped of all pretensions and social conventions.

All that external stuff distracts you from paying attention to The Quiet You, but this is a mistake. Without regular check-ins, it's too easy to start living someone else's life.

I'm not going to tell you that you have to:

a. Meditate

b. Practice mindfulness

c. Learn relaxation exercises

d. Take Tai Chi

e. Go for long walks alone on the beach

f. Chant "Om"

g. Swim laps

h. Pray

i. Practice loving kindness

j. Sit quietly with good friends or someone you love

...but any of these would be a step in the right direction. Do what works for you, and stick with it.

This is the first, critical step to being happy and productive.

Personally, my best ideas come to me when I shut up.

The only problem is that I really like talking and hanging out with other people, being exposed to new ideas, and being surprised by what other people say and do.

But my brain – and yours – needs time to process all these new experiences. Sleeping is not enough quiet time; you also need quiet time while you are awake.

Most people resist the idea of being ultra-quiet. If you are such a person, let me promise you that being ultra-quiet, at least once every few weeks, is the only thing you can do to increase your intelligence. Yes, you read that correctly; you will increase your intelligence by being quiet on a regular basis.