calm | INSTAGRAM | OCT 22

🗝"One day it just hit me that when I think of all the important moments in my life—whether they were moments where I did my absolute best work or experienced the most happiness—they seemed to be defined by a kind of stillness. I wasn't frenzied. I wasn't frantic. I wasn't doing five things at the same time. In some cases, I wasn't doing anything at all. What I was was really locked into what was in front of me. I was totally present and totally engaged. That's where my best ideas come from as a writer. That's when I can really see and experience what's going on around me. That's when I have given my best talks or had my deepest conversations. That's when I've felt gratitude and joy and wonder. The Stoics and the Epicureans called this "ataraxia"—when you are not jerked around by anything outside or inside. You just are. You're full, you're not craving. And you bring the best of yourself to the moment.⁠ ⁠ The point is: If these moments are so important and powerful, it seems strange that they are so rare. What I've been writing about and practicing then are ways of cultivating those moments actively in my life." @ryanholiday⁠ ⁠ 📖Visit the link in our bio to check out the rest of our interview with Ryan Holiday about his latest book, Stillness is the Key.