What we need to learn about Keanu Reeves is simple: be quiet. The actor turns today 57 years old, he looks better than ever and we need to learn more from his silence attitude and practice a good health routine.
The world doesn’t need more loud guys full of too many words, with buff arms, in tight shirts, and huge egos to match. The world needs quiet people. Why?
I’ve always been intrigued by Keanu. He is a quiet person who keeps to himself and still hasn’t figured out how to be famous after twenty-nine years of being one of the most iconic Hollywood actors of all time.
Keanu doesn’t get fame, attention or noise. Instead, he prefers to be quiet and insert silence in his speeches and TV interviews.
“I know that the ones who love us will miss us”
Keanu
He summed up the entire meaning of life. It was a moment of sheer brilliance.
Take Time to Answer a Question
In a relatively unknown interview with Keanu back in 2000, RoillingStone writer, Chris Heath, picks up on how Keanu uses silences.
“I ask him why he acts. For forty-two seconds, he says nothing. Not a word, a grunt, a prevarication, or a hint that an answer might come. For most of that time, his head is angled at ninety degrees away from me, as if that’s where the oxygen is.”
“Uh,” he finally says, “the words that popped into my head were expression and, uh, it’s fun.” A few minutes later, I lob a vague question about whether he ever wants to write or director. He lets out a kind of quiet sigh.
At its worst, it’s like this. You ask Keanu Reeves a question and…just wait. Out in space, planets collide, stars go supernova. On earth, forests fall, animals screech and roar. People shout and. Rant weep with anger and joy and just for the hell of it.
And, all this time, Reeves sits there, entirely silent.
On this particular occasion, the silence lasts seventy-two seconds.
Chris Heath
Rather than answering a question, Keanu waits to see if he has an answer worth giving. He then attempts to edit down his response in his head so that it can be understood. Many of the interviews with Keanu contain huge chunks of silence. That’s why his TV interviews aren’t that in-depth because it takes him time to respond and a three-minute TV interview just doesn’t do it.
The real answers to life’s toughest questions take time to answer.
Softly Spoken Brings People Closer
Billie Eilish does this with her music. Many of her songs contain lyrics that are softly sung and you have to lean in to understand what she’s saying.
Keanu uses softly spoken words in interviews to bring people in and take them on a journey. Hollywood wants him to be loud and fancy, but that’s not how he rolls.
A soft voice like Keanu’s draws you in, and then, only then, can you hear what he’s trying to say.
Silence Breeds Curiosity
Keanu uses silence brilliantly in speeches and public performances. The silence helps the listener become curious about what he’s going to say. It breeds suspense and that helps you put your phone away and listen.
The Smarter you become, the less you speak
This is the key lesson Keanu has taught us: You’re not smart by talking a lot. You’re not having an impact by increasing your speech volume or trying to be important. You’re smart when you do the following:
- Let people talk first
- Listen with intention
- When your face shows you’re engaged in the conversation
- You practice saying less
- You lead with empathy
Quiet People Make us Think
Silence is not only golden; it makes you think. And we need more time to think during these uncertain times.
Conversely, you can’t honk about what someone is saying if you’re lost in thoughts of what you’re going to say next.
It’s okay to be quiet so you can think.
Quiet people change the world.
Happy Birthday Keanu!
Text by Tim Denning.
HUNKS OVER 40 
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