A break from the voices

One group of voices I have enjoyed getting a break from has been the murder of crows who raise hell every morning outside my house in Maine. (Image by MiZie)

I listen to a lot of podcasts. While doing the dishes, folding the laundry, mowing the lawn, walking or driving, podcasts are my go-to for education, entertainment, and connection when I’m alone.

I also read books, watch videos, and take courses. I enjoy these experiences until, just like the tail end of a meal, I am done. I don’t want any more.

Often, it’s because I simply want silence. But there are also occasions when all of the thoughtful advice and inspiring ideas are just too overwhelming. I don’t want to be productive. I don’t want to focus on growth and development. I don’t want to hear any voices in my head, telling me things I could do. I just want to exist.

I love learning, but even I reach a point at which I find it unappetizing. I don’t want to hear anyone else’s opinion on how things should be or what I should value. I want to enjoy being where I am instead of thinking about how it might be better.

There are so many popular resources right now that teach us about habits and practices that can make us successful or joyful or peaceful. The irony is that overconsumption of these resources can leave us overwhelmed and empty. Just like food, no matter how healthy, too much isn’t good for you.

In certain circles, a mix of books and podcasts and TED talks becomes a syllabus for a de facto degree program that everyone presumes that everyone else is participating in. Certain ideas get repeated so often that they become quasi-religious truths. To question these foundational beliefs feels practically heretical.

Powerful ideas can create powerful movements that benefit people. These movements can also become commodified, and not always by the person whose ideas launched them. One such idea is the very notion that we should always be studying the work of brilliant minds to try to absorb their wisdom. You don’t have to buy into it.

I don’t want to worship Warren Buffett, Brené Brown, Seneca, or their acolytes. I can appreciate, in moderation, groundbreaking ideas, but I sour on them if things feel too prescriptive or the standard for mastery is one I’ll never reach.

Education is important, but there is a moment when we must move from education to action (this is, itself, an idea you are free to disagree with, by the way!). You don’t have to read all of the books or take all of the courses to launch your product. You don’t need to scour Pinterest and Instagram until the wee hours for weeks on end to put together your wedding. And you don’t need to listen to all of the parent educators on TikTok before you’re qualified to raise your child.

After we’ve been in action for awhile, we may have questions we need answered or new curiosities that come up. Then, we can go back and seek new information and ideas to “fill the well.” Having received the nourishment we need, we can excuse ourselves from the table and get into action again.

Music, silence, and Moth stories that make me cry — this is what I turn to when I can’t listen to another entrepreneur being interviewed by another entrepreneur. I appreciate the voices, but I also appreciate a break from them. I am not beholden to them. I’m allowed to disagree with them. I’m even allowed to ignore them anytime I want. And so are you.