Episode 60: When Silence is Deafening: Todd Shares Lessons Learned in Solitude at a Monastery

Silence is deafening, until you attune to the Lord and listen for His voice. Todd traveled to a Benedictine monastery for 10 days recently to enter into some peace and quiet as he worked on his latest book. Embracing the rituals and spiritual disciplines of the monks during his stay, he struggled, surrendered, and gained meaningful life lessons he wants to share with you in this episode. **Editor's note: For some inexplicable reason, we had a bit of a technical snafu about 21 minutes into the episode. You can still hear and understand us just fine, but you'll notice a slight change in our voices. As they say in the biz, "The show must go on..."In this episode, you will discover:-Todd spends 10 days at a monastery for silence and writing...03:00-Sometimes the best use of your time is to sit in silence and listen...07:00-At first, silence can be a deafening distraction...10:30-Long walks in the woods thinking about what matters the most...12:00-Talking with God vs. talking to God...14:00-Communal prayers and chanting with the monks; the value of rituals...16:00-The realization of dependency on technology; acknowledging addiction...19:00-What do you do when there is absolutely nothing to do? ...20:00-The spiritual discipline of solitude grows compassion for the lonely...23:00-Circus Ringmaster turned Benedictine monk (future podcast guest!)...25:00-Sacred space; how the architecture and structure is inspiring...29:00-Being uncomfortable in unfamiliar circumstances is extraordinarily tough...30:30-Monastic life is not for Todd, and that is OK!...32:00-Think before you speak, in fact... talk less!...34:00-Genuine humility and kindness; a culture worth duplicating at home...36:00Call to action:To learn more about Wendie and her Visibly Fit program, visit wendiepett.comTo find out more about Todd and his coaching program for men, find him on the web at toddisberner.com.All the links you need to subscribe to the podcast are at both our websites! And if you feel so inclined, we'd be honored if you were to leave a rating and review of our show. It definitely helps with us being more visible to more people.And if we like it, we might just read your review on the podcast!