Too Much Distraction Is Bad For Your Integrity

This is a distracting world. There is so much good stuff vying for your attention, it would be astonishing to anyone even fifty years ago. There is so much good music to listen to, so many movies to watch, so many television programs, so many things that need to be done, so many great web sites and blogs, so many good books to read (or listen to on an audiobook), it's absolutely amazing. And all this temptation makes it difficult to turn everything off and sit in silence, but that's exactly what your personal integrity requires.

The silence can be done by taking a walk or going for a hike alone also, of course. This is simply time to think. Time to reflect. Time to feel. The more difficult decisions you have, or the more ethical dilemmas you're dealing with, the more time you'll probably need.

Whenever you feel "off your center," out of sorts, or out-integrity, the first and most important step you can take is spend some time without input. You are suffering from a solitude deficiency.

Spend time in solitude, in quiet, and let your mind do whatever it does. Just take the time. You don't need to try to think things through. You'll do it naturally. Just take the time. Spend an hour just sitting still in a quiet room or going for a walk where you will see nobody. Let your mind relax and drift, not trying to think of something, and not trying to avoid thinking of something.

You'll be closer to integrity when you're done. Do it as often as needed.

Think of solitude or distraction-free quiet time as a sort of "integrity vitamin." It is something necessary for wholeness. It is a fundamental of exploring integrity. Maybe the fundamental. Spend time without input.

Adam Khan is the author of Self-Reliance, Translated and Principles For Personal Growth. Follow his podcast, The Adam Bomb.