A key lesson about living a good life is to not force things. People who want to control everything end up frustrated with their results. It’s harder to be wealthier that way.

This is something philosophers of all ages and places have agreed on. The concept of letting go is so unnatural to human nature. We all have experienced the drive to control things.

If this wasn’t such a universal thing, people wouldn’t write about it so often. One of my favorite philosophical books is Solitude: A Return to the Self by the English psychiatrist Anthony Storr. In the book (published in 1988), Storr challenges the idea that external relationships are at the center of human existence.

What attracted me to Solitude is that I never believed in the idea that life is about externals. I think life is all about the relationship you have with yourself. As an introvert, that idea came easy to me. But since the world forces you to be outgoing and part of the bigger social structure, I never fully followed my own instincts.

I developed my view and lifestyle over the last seven years thanks to technology and the ability to publish articles, books, and courses. That helped me to earn a living by doing something meaningful. 

And solitude has been the driving force behind everything I do. This is not a new idea. Everyone knows it requires alone time to make anything big happen in life. From running a marathon to building a business, we must rely on ourselves to pull through.

We have to spend thousands of hours on training and developing skills. But there’s also another thing that’s critical.