You can do better (than me). Episode 3: Silence

Silence: Shut Up and Trust Life

I’ve always been known for talking—a lot. Whether it's long voice messages to friends or rambling emails, people who know me understand that I can talk for hours. And let’s be honest, I’ve built a lot of my life around talking. It’s part of my personality, part of how I work through things, and, well, it’s how I engage with the world. But recently, I started to ask myself a tough question: What am I trying to avoid with all this talking?

About three years ago, I began a more serious meditation practice. Before that, I had dabbled in it, but this time I committed to really diving in. Now, I even have a silent meditation retreat planned in India, 15 days of silence, which, for someone like me, seems like a massive challenge. But the real challenge isn’t the silence itself—it’s what lies beneath it.

What is it about silence that makes me uncomfortable? Why do I feel the need to fill the air with words? I’ve come to realize that when I speak too much, it’s not just about sharing ideas or filling space—it’s often about masking something deeper. A lack of confidence? A fear of being misunderstood? Maybe it’s all of the above.

I’m starting to see that over-talking is directly related to under-listening. When you talk too much, you stop hearing the world around you. It’s as if I’ve been using words as a shield to protect myself from whatever life might throw at me. And in doing so, I’ve deprived myself of the magic of silence—the serendipity of life, the unexpected moments that can only happen when you create space for them.

I used to believe that doing more was a sign of love. There’s a family member of mine who always says, “To love is to do.” For years, I followed that mantra—constantly doing, speaking, moving. But recently, I’ve come to believe that sometimes, love is about not doing. Sometimes, to love is to trust and let go. To love is to be quiet and let things unfold.

Silence creates space. Space for life to surprise you. Space for serendipity. When you stop forcing things to happen—when you stop filling every moment with action or words—you leave room for the universe to step in. This has been a hard lesson for me because I’ve always been someone who pushes, who drives, who forces things to happen. But maybe, sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is shut up and trust life.

I’m learning that silence is more than the absence of sound. It’s an invitation for life to speak to you in ways you can’t hear when you’re constantly talking. By making space—by remaining silent—you open yourself up to possibilities you couldn’t have imagined. Silence isn’t empty. It’s full of potential.

And that’s the lesson I wish I had learned sooner: that the power of silence lies in its ability to make room for life’s surprises. Maybe if I had spent more time being quiet, I wouldn’t have missed out on some of the magic life had in store for me.