The Gift of Boredom

It strikes all of us no matter how busy or engaged we might seem. At some point it shows up...we're bored. Bored isn't the same as tired and needing a break. Those are intentional pauses we take to re-energize. Boredom is the opposite...a reactive mental state of being unchallenged. We have a space to fill, capacity to do more.  Some people are bored more often than others. Beyond being busy (some busy is actually an extension of boredom to make us feel like we are being productive), those which seldom face boredom are usually more deeply committed to something, have a clear purpose, and are grounded in solid habits of forward motion. They're committed to doing the work necessary to achieve the change they seek to make. Bored isn't part of their program. There's simply no room for it. But, even for those people, this form of resistance occasionally shows up. 

Here's a tip...deal with boredom before it shows up. Decide now. Choose to act towards something when the resistance of doing nothing appears. The action might be to take a break. But, it might also be to dive into something more deeply, to solve a problem which has been put off, or to create a new problem to solve. This, like all habits, take practice. It's easier to click on the next Seinfeld episode or open Instagram. This is what the resistance wants us to do. The habit we need to form is to do something else instead.

What we do when we're bored is a choice. We can settle. Or, we can treat it as a gift, an opportunity to make headway, perhaps in a new direction. Choose wisely.