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Summary of Stillness Is the Key 

4.7 . 6894 reviews

Short summary

“Stillness Is the Key” is a spectacular book by media strategist, entrepreneur and bestselling American author, Ryan Holiday. This summary opens the doors of wisdom, showing the true secret behind every great person to ever walk the planet. In this summary, you’ll learn how great people achieve success, stillness, and control over their minds. Not just another zen-preaching read, this masterpiece is praised by all. Cal Newport, bestselling author of “Deep Work” says, “Some authors give advice. Ryan Holiday distills wisdom. This book is a must-read for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the frenetic demands of modern life.” Do you feel distracted? Stillness. That's it. That's what is missing. You need to slow down and create personal fulfillment. And, only you can do this for yourself, no one else can. But, don’t worry, Ryan Holiday will show you the exact steps in this tidbit. “Fascinating. . . . If you’re a generalist who has ever felt overshadowed by your specialist colleagues, this book is for you.” ~ Bill Gates

Table of content

  • Summary of Stillness Is the Key
  • About the author
  • What is Stillness Is the Key about?
  • Who should read Stillness Is the Key
  • Topics in Stillness Is the Key
first key point

Stillness and hard work must go together if you want to be successful

Listen the first key point
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Stillness is an important trait that you must master if you want to be successful in the modern world. There are far too many things in our world today to distract you from your goals and ambitions. And, that's beside the regular crises that invade our personal and professional lives from time to time.
You have all the answers to the problems in your life, it's all buried within you. You only need to be still to find it.
John F. Kennedy did not always possess the quality of stillness. As a matter of fact, when he was a young man, the former American president was a troublemaker. He grew up in a family where “you don't get mad, you get even.” And he held onto that mantra for the most part of his life. He came into politics with absolutely no executive leadership experience, all his awesome leadership skills were learned in service. And, as you would guess, he failed several times.

But that same man was able to avoid a major nuclear war between America and the Soviets. The now popular “Cuban Missile War” would have escalated into something big that would claim the lives of over 70 million people had Kennedy not learned how to be still and let his mind guide his decisions.

Imagine trying to dismantle a grenade set for detonation in your family house. You have no prior experience or knowledge, and the lives of the people you love are at stake. You try, hoping you get it right, or you will all die. How fast will your mind race?

That's similar to Kennedy's situation, but he pulled it off. The nuclear war didn't happen, because he managed to strike an agreement with the USSR.

How did he do it? Several media reports of interviews with the people around him at the time, as well as information obtained from his personal journal, show that Kennedy had practiced the following aspects of mental stillness: patience, alternating confidence and humility, foresight and presence, empathy and unbending conviction, restraint and toughness, and quiet solitude combined with wise counsel. These are the qualities you will be learning in the chapters below. Let's dive in.
The mind is restless, Krishna, impetuous, self willed, hard to train: to master the mind seems as difficult as to master the mighty winds. ~ The Bhagavad Gita
second key point

Living in the present will make you a more focused and intentional person

Life — no matter how hard or beautiful, or sad or interesting — is a gift. But oftentimes, we fail to appreciate or acknowledge the gift of living, and instead, focus our minds on how he could fix the past or what design we could give to the future. And in so doing, we fail to live in the now, the present reality. Every one of us is a victim of this. How many times have you climbed the podium to give a talk and, rather than focus on what you came to do, you find yourself wondering what your audience thinks about your dress or hairstyle. Can the ones in the front row smell your perfume? Do they think it smells nice? Oh that color on the dude sitting right over there reminds you of the first time you met your boyfriend. Eventually, you find yourself underperforming because you were too distracted.
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third key point

Putting away unimportant information will make you a better thinker

fourth key point

You can learn to manage your emotions by leveraging on the art of personal journaling

fifth key point

Learn from the wisdom of people who have gone ahead of you

sixth key point

Your character is as important to your success as hard work

seventh key point

Paying attention to your body will make you more productive

eighth key point

Conclusion

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What is Stillness Is the Key about?

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Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.

Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.