Learning Stillness From Winston Churchill
I (Lukas) just finished reading the book Stillness Is The Key By, Ryan Holiday. This book found me at the right time in my life because everything was muddy and cloudy and all I was doing was working and showing up for myself. I learned that when we are still we can think more clearly, manage our emotions, make tough decisions, clarify goals, and productiveness. Ryan Holiday went through many leaders in this book including Winston Churchill, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, and Marcus Aurelius.
My personal favorite leader to learn about was Winston Churchill. Churchill was the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1940-1945. This was an important time in history because he was the one leading the UK during WW2. The biggest take away was that Churchill was a thinking man that wanted to make the right decision when everything seemed cloudy.
To maintain stillness Churchill would paint. He started painting at the age of 40 when he was at an all-time low in his life. By the time of his death, it is said that he created over 550 paintings. Personally, my favorite painting of his was the one that he produced during WW2. He was extremely busy throughout the war, but he still knew the importance of staying still and creating. He ended up gifting that painting to Roosevelt.
In the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower has been the only president that has taken the action of stillness through painting. Eisenhower set up a section in the white house solely to be still and paint.
Final thought, work can get extremely busy. We are not here to solely work, to get ahead it is important that we take the time to be still and create. I have made it a goal of mine in 2020 to be more creative. Creating is an important part of growing and staying still. I have still not been able to create a habit of creating but I know that I am getting closer because I can now see the reward.
0 Comments