habit

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.

Stop It

If we don't like something we're doing, work to stop it. Straightforward, but not at all simple.

Stop...

  • biting our nails

  • eating cupcakes

  • cheating

  • wasting and stealing people's time

  • wasting our own time

  • buying books and not reading them

  • being condescending

  • watching the news

  • working all the time

This time of year we focus a lot on starting. What can we stop doing instead? How can we make things better by stopping? Maybe, we could begin by doing a little less of it...baby steps.

Small Dents

We often think of achievement in terms of the big acts...making our big dent in the universe. It's sometimes lost that these big, more noticeable dents are made up of much smaller ones...the habits which turn the ratchet in the right direction. Our work is made-up of tiny dents, behaviors and practices, which define our culture and how we are seen by the world. The larger dents are determined foremost by our actions underneath, often when no one is looking....our character.

A character of persistent forward motion, learning and adapting, chiseling away to make things better, is the key to making progress.

The size of the dent isn't so important. But, making them is. Best then to focus on making small ones, which might just lead to a big one or two.

Please go make your dent!

Act Forward

Turning professional (not getting paid, but rather taking action even when we don’t feel like it) is a commitment to progress, to forward motion. Nothing more and nothing less. Without this simple promise to act forward, nothing can be gained, and goals can not be reached. We must act towards something in order for it to be achieved. And the best way to do it is turn pro at the things we know will help achieve it. Want to write a book? Turn pro at writing sentences. Act forward by committing to a daily routine of sitting at the keyboard or picking up pen and paper. Start with small actions. Then build habits and routines around those actions. Make acting forward a habit. Why not carve out five minutes for a new habit today?

I Did

In the context of getting better, I did carries more weight than I need to.

It’s a simple differentiator, but worth pondering. What’s keeping us from moving forward, from getting better, inch by inch, drip by drip? What small commitments can we choose to make to put ourselves on the hook…to gain traction to make things better? How much time does it take to start building a habit of better? Five minutes will do as a start. 

Choose wisely.

Open the Web Browser

We can’t start (or finish) the on-line workshop without making a habit out of the first step. It might be sitting at the desk, or even walking into the office. But more likely, it’s something closer to the hard part…like opening the browser window to the log-in screen. Making a habit to dance with the discomfort of the first hard part is the secret sauce to getting anything done. It’s not a commitment to finish…just a choice to confront the hard beginning, every day. Choose wisely.

HT to my Coffee Beyond Akimbo friend Daniel for the brilliant insight.