Carl Jung, one of the most influential psychologists, had a fascinating view of the unconscious mind.
He believed the unconscious mind is not merely personal, that it only contains information about ourselves, such as memories, habits, or experiences.
But he thought there was something deeper—a collective unconscious—that we all share.
He described it like this, and I’m just paraphrasing here:
If we could personify the unconscious, it would be someone with male and female traits, unaffected by time and has the collective knowledge of millions of years of human experience.
In other words, we all have patterns and instincts passed down throughout generations.
Now, we cannot know whether his theory is 100% correct but we do know that the unconscious mind contains tremendous potential and with the right approach we can extract some of it.
This leads us to the book Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday.
Ryan argues that by cultivating stillness, we can access those hidden parts of the mind where real creativity and insight live. He gives a lot of practical advice to cut through the noise of the modern world and be able to focus and think clearly.
So here I’ll share 11 key insights from the book. Of course, there’s a lot more to learn but these are the ones that made the biggest impact.
#1 Being Present
Being present is when you focus on a task like there’s nothing else in the world. And even when you’re doing nothing, you simply exist. You are aware of what’s happening around you but you don’t judge or try to change it.
Now, when you’re truly present something special happens. You get calm.
All those intrusive thoughts – the “What-ifs” and “I-should-have-dones” – Disappear. Instead, all your mental energy goes into one thing.
As a result, you’ll finish that task faster and do a better job than if you were trying to juggle 3 different tasks.
It’s important to understand that thinking is just a tool. You use it when needed, then you put it down.
I’m saying it because we’ve developed this habit of thinking nonstop. At some point, we are fantasizing about the future. Then we swing the other way and obsess over the past. Or we get caught up in the endless dramas created by people around us or the media.
So we want to be aware of these thoughts and narratives that constantly play into our minds and steal our focus.
#2 Limit Your Inputs
In an authoritarian regime, when someone speaks the truth, they’re not silenced. Instead, the propaganda machine comes into play and overloads the public with irrelevant information.
They overwhelm people to the point that they either forget the truth or just feel powerless to do anything about it.
This is called information overload.
It is commonly used by businesses and governments.
It is also commonly used by us against ourselves.
Every day we consume massive amounts of information that have no value other than distracting us for a moment. It’s the equivalent of consuming junk food.
Look, there’s no need to be on top of everything whether there’s a popular show, a new celebrity or political scandal, or a war crisis somewhere in the world.
Being the most informed person in the room can feed our ego, but it comes at a price.
We become more anxious and restless and there’s also the opportunity cost. Too much information clogs our brain, making it hard to think clearly so we end up making bad decisions.
So basically, if you want your brain to produce high-quality work, you feed it high-quality information.
And to do that, as Epictetus said, be comfortable with appearing ignorant about shit that doesn’t matter.
#3 Slow Down, Think Deeply
Our brain is lazy. It’s always looking for quick ways to process information.
So when faced with a person or a situation, it will rush into conclusions faster than you can blink.
The problem is that most of the time, these snap judgments are wrong.
And what happens when we let our brain run on autopilot?
We make bad decisions. We miss opportunities. We feel like crap.
That’s why we have to stop and really look—go beyond the surface-level assumptions.
You might be wondering, ‘Wait, earlier we said that we need to stop overthinking… now we need to think deeply. Isn’t that a contradiction?
Well, no. It’s not.
Thinking is just a tool. We need it, we use it, we put it back in its place.
We bring it out to solve complicated problems or to understand what’s really happening with a person or a situation. But when we let intrusive thoughts and false narratives take over, then we are wasting mental energy.
That’s not deep thinking – that’s destructive thinking.
As Rayan explains:
“We have to do that kind of thinking that 99% of the population is just not doing, and we have to stop doing the destructive thinking that they spend 99% of their time doing.”
#4 Seek Wisdom
Each philosophy school has its own wisdom but they all share these core ideas:
Ask questions.
Study and reflect.
Stay Humble.
And learn from experience—especially from failures and mistakes.
So basically, wisdom is having a sense of the big picture based on the accumulation of experience and your ability to rise above the mental shortcuts.
One of the ways to become wise is to read books, reflect on what you read, and apply what you learn.
Tolstoy once said: “I cannot understand how some people can live without communicating with the wisest people who ever lived on earth.”
That’s true. Reading great books is like conversing with those great people.
But reading alone is not enough. We also have to seek out situations that challenge us on an intellectual, emotional, or physical level.
For example:
You can question your core beliefs about yourself and how the world works.
You can act against these beliefs to see if they’re true.
You can have a conversation with someone who has a different worldview.
In other words, you should do things that are painful but necessary.
Wise people are still because they’ve seen it all. They know what’s coming because they’ve been through so much already.
#5 Let Go
The great archery master Awa Kenzo taught his students that the most important skill isn’t technical precision—it’s detachment.
If you’re too conscious of the technical parts of shooting,’ he said, ‘you won’t be relaxed or smooth enough.’
It’s about ignoring the mental noise and allowing our instincts to take over.
Let me give you a simple example from my life to better understand this concept.
When I played football with my friends, I had this habit of overthinking every little detail of the game.
Now I have been playing football since I was a kid; I already knew what to do. Yet I found the need to obsess over everything.
Surprise! Surprise! I didn’t play well.
However, there have been some moments, where I made great dribbles and goals.
In those moments, I wasn’t even thinking about it; I was just playing.
And that got me wondering because I was seeing the same pattern in other areas of my life.
“How is it that most of the time I’m average, but in those rare moments, I’m not? How can I let that other side come out more often?”
That’s why I’ve read a few books like this one that teach people about improving their performance.
And one of the biggest lessons is letting go—You know, to get rid of this habit where you want to always be in control.
So I adopted a new approach… to enjoy the moment, have fun and focus more on the process of playing, learning, or working rather than the result.
#6 Heal the Inner Child
Every child will face tough situations but sometimes it can be overwhelming.
To cope with those challenges, they form certain beliefs about other people and their place in the world. It helps them feel safer and more comfortable.
But here’s the problem—those beliefs are often irrational.
And just because we grow up, it doesn’t mean those beliefs will magically disappear.
They stick with us.
We’ve all heard the saying “Times heals everything.” But that’s wrong.
What actually changes things is using our logic to figure out what’s true, and then taking action to fix it.
So if we don’t actively work on our issues, we’ll carry these false beliefs, distorted views, and emotional wounds into adulthood.
That’s why you see people who despite being very skilled at their job, they feel deeply insecure. Or why someone who’s in a position of power, feels like a victim.
So think about the pain you carry from childhood and work to resolve those issues. Because you don’t want to allow that baggage to affect your decision-making today.
I mean, would you trust a 9-year-old with anything dangerous or important?
#7 Enough
Most people never realize that success won’t give them the relief or happiness they thought it would. Or they figure this out when it’s too late.
Now when we are in pursuit of excellence, of course, there will be pain and sacrifices but we don’t have to be miserable. We can enjoy the process, not just the wins. And we can find the time to develop strong relationships.
So we don’t have to dedicate everything we have to this one goal.
Think about what we learned earlier. We all have motivations and drives that may come from unresolved issues of childhood.
For example, we think, “If I achieve this big result, I’ll finally prove I’m better/worthy/whatever.”
In other words, we try to fill that inner void by constantly pushing ourselves harder while pushing away valuable things like time, energy, relationships and moments of inner peace.
People like to believe that these feelings—this pain—are what drive us to go beyond and create amazing things. You know it’s that idea of the tortured artist—that to be a true artist, you need to suffer.
But here’s the real question:
Could these people create the same work without all that emotional baggage?
I believe that yes. They would achieve the same result, probably more, while being satisfied with their lives.
Here’s why…
When they’re creating, they’re being completely focused on their work which allows them to use their abilities effectively.
But when they’re caught up in that self-destructive emotional vortex, they lose that stillness and their performance will lack.
Now suffering is not necessarily useless. Many people who have faced traumatic events have used that experience to gain more perspective which helped them grow faster or become more creative.
So suffering is just another tool they can use; it’s not the reason for their brilliant work.
Look, everyone suffers in life, some more some less, but very few are true artists.
#8 Get Rid of Your Stuff
We have talked about clearing our minds and taking care of our souls, but it doesn’t really matter if the things we own end up owning us.
It’s easy to fall into this trap. We chase after expensive things trying to keep up with the hottest new products.
It’s fun, no doubt.
That buzz you get from buying something new feels great, but it doesn’t last.
So what do we do?
We go out and buy more.
Pretty soon, we’re stressing about what other people think of our purchases. Our homes are cluttered with stuff we barely use, and we might end up in debt or throwing money down the drain.
The fun slowly fades away along with our peace of mind…
We’re basically buying anxiety with our own cash.
Now, the problem is not about buying things; It’s when we use shopping as a way to escape the monotony of life or some problem we are having.
So try to be mindful about buying. Ask yourself, why am I buying this? Is it something I truly need, or is it just filling a temporary void?
And don’t underestimate the power of marketing. You know, corporations hire brilliant people to come up with ways to connect their product with a certain feeling.
Some even use fMRI machines to see which parts of the brain the Ad is affecting.
They’re finding your vulnerabilities and trying to slip their product at the right place, at the right time.
Think about it: We consume energy drinks when we feel tired; sugary snacks when we are upset; alcohol when we try to relax or when we feel depressed.
This reminds me of a scene from Modern Family 😊
#9 Find a Hobby
For centuries, Japanese generals and warriors practiced flower arranging, calligraphy, and poetry.
It isn’t just about beauty—it is about balance. To counteract those violent aspects of their job with artistic precision.
It’s also a way to find clarity and peace.
Since they have to focus on doing a great job, there’s no room to think about the chaos of battle or the stress of life.
It’s the same reason why, throughout history, people with mentally taxing jobs engaged in hobbies that required physical activity.
In the West, philosophers trained in wrestling or boxing while philosophers in the East, trained in martial arts.
These practices demand full concentration. If you’re not present while fighting, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.
So try to find a hobby that you enjoy doing and that also challenges you. It might be painting, boxing, playing music, playing football, gardening, chopping wood… whatever you like.
#10 Beware of Escapism
For a long time, I tried to escape my problems and unresolved issues of childhood by binge eating, consuming too many sugary drinks, watching a lot of movies or TV shows and chain smoking.
There was a phase where I started consuming some weed or alcohol. However, I managed to stop it before it became a habit because I feared it would affect my intelligence. I was like, “I’ve got enough problems as it is, imagine if I get dumber.”
At the time, I didn’t know it was an escape, I always thought “I’m just trying to have some fun or pass the time.” Even though I looked like this but obese.
Eventually, I had to face all of the issues I was trying to run away from while working on overcoming all of these self-destructive habits I picked up along the way.
So no matter how hard we try to avoid facing our struggles; sooner or later; willingly or unwillingly we will have to face them.
As Rayan explains:
“When you defer and delay, interest is accumulating. The bill still comes due… and it will be even harder to afford then than it will be right now. The one thing you can’t escape in your life is yourself.”
#11 Act Bravely
In 2017, the French philosopher Anne Dufourmantelle died trying to save two drowning children.
She once wrote that a life of absolute security is a fantasy—being alive is always a risk.
In an interview, she said that in moments of danger, we’re gifted with a “strong incentive for action, dedication, and surpassing oneself.”
On that beach in Saint-Tropez, when faced with a moment of danger, she didn’t hesitate—she embodied her philosophy.
Now, it’s rare that you’ll face a life-or-death decision, like ‘Would you rather live as a coward or die as a hero?’
But in everyday life, we’re constantly faced with choices… to act bravely or to turn a blind eye.
These decisions may seem small, but they’re important because they affect other people and they also how you feel about yourself.
Here’s something to keep in mind:
- People who don’t betray their conscience will always be at peace.
- People who act despite their fear, especially to help others, will feel a deep sense of comfort and confidence.
- People who consistently do good will feel good—and know that they are enough
Now, I want to conclude this summary with an interesting event I witnessed this week.
As I’m walking in the city, I see three stray dogs standing together on the other side of the road.
Then as I get closer, I notice a cat frozen in front of them.
I’m trying to cross the road but there are too many cars; No one is stopping so I’m shouting at the dogs because I fear it will be too late for the cat.
And then, out of nowhere, this teenager on a scooter rushes in and scares the dogs away.
The cat was safe.
What he did was very impressive and it made me optimistic that there’ll always be people who’ll step up and do the right thing.
Afterward, I stayed on the sidewalk for a while till there were no dogs around because the cat was still frozen in fear and in no condition to flee away from danger.
Reading Stillness is The Key is a great start to becoming calmer and tapping into the power of the unconscious. But If you want to learn more, I’d recommend watching these videos:
