From Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude
The solitary life is above all a life of prayer.
We do not pray for the sake of praying, but for the sake of being heard. We do not pray in order to listen to ourselves praying but in order that God may hear us and answer us. Also, we do not pray in order to receive just any answer: it must be God’s answer.
Therefore a solitary will be a man who is always praying, and who there is always intent upon God, solicitous for the purity of his own prayer to God, careful not to substitute his own answers for God’s answers….
It seems to me that this is not quite comprehensible if we forget that the life of prayer is founded on prayer of petition….
Want to be a success? Spend more time in solitude, in quiet reflection. Spend more time asking God for His involvement in your life, in the events or organizations around your life and in the greater events of the country. And don’t put your words into God’s mouth. Sit in silence and listen.