I chose to end my mini-sabbatical with something that stretched me far beyond my comfort zone: a 10-day Vipassana silent retreat. Ten full days of silence. No phone. No books. No journals. No conversations. Just me, my thoughts, and at least 10 hours of meditation each day. The routine was simple; sleep, eat, meditate, repeat. Yet within that simplicity came some of the most profound realizations – and even long-postponed decisions – of my adult life. So many of the choices we truly need to make get delayed, ignored, or buried under distractions, but in the silence, avoidance isn’t an option.