Of all of the places in the world I could travel, I would always choose to be quiet.
One of the biggest struggles in my life is to find the balance between productive and quiet. And, it is a balance. Productivity, of course, produces something—work, enjoyment, or achievements. Quiet, on the hand, provides me with the fuel to be productive. If I focus all of my energy on being productive-I will most certainly burn out and shut down. If I focus all of my energy on being quiet—I will have many quiet ideas, but nothing to show for it.
But there is more to the story of being quiet other than the struggle for balance. Quiet is the fuel for me to gather peace. Quiet leads to the exploration of self and the deepest ideas I have. Another big struggle is to be quiet. When I am quiet, my mind is busy. Sometimes my mind is fighting against the productive mind as it replays the cultural norm that if I am doing nothing, I must be being lazy. Sometimes my mind is opened to a rush of ideas that have been held back by my busy productive self because it is too busy to capture a fleeting thought or idea as the idea passes by.
Although I long for the quiet, many times the struggles overwhelm me and I begin to chase after more short-term productive pursuits. Luckily, the quiet is constantly calling me to return and to refresh—even if I must fight with the struggles.