There’s a handful of negative words that I’ve begun to reframe. Being Bored is one of them.
In today’s world we do everything we can to avoid boredom. People can’t even drive their cars any longer without also engaging in dangerous distracted driving. Every day I get scared looking into my rear-view mirror and seeing the tell-tale sign of the person behind me looking down while they are driving.
There was a famous study where people chose to shock themselves with electricity rather than sit bored for 15 minutes without their electronics or other distractions.
Being bored is seen as a generally bad thing. To be avoided. And with our 24/7 plugged in world that is easily achieved.
I’ve come to love being bored.
I think I always was good with it. Driving long distance and letting my mind think about challenges I am facing.
For many years I didn’t own a car and would walk to the grocery store or post office in my neighborhood. Every day I’d go on that walk and pass those around me looking down at their phones as they walked a similar route.
I honestly felt bad for them.
I find boredom is where creative thinking comes from. It also generates problem solving.
On those same walks, I can vividly remember coming up with some amazing “Eureka” thoughts that went on to become hugely successful business ideas. Ideas that literally generated millions of dollars.
Now I embrace being bored. I love using this negative word as a positive.
I love laying in bed bored in the mornings. Not grabbing my phone. Starting at the ceiling. Seeing what thoughts might come to me.
I love going on walks in my neighborhood and leaving my phone at home.
I love leaving my phone on silent all the time. It never invades my day. Whatever and whomever is trying to reach me will have to wait until I get around to checking.
I was inspired to write this blog article while being bored. I had given myself nothing to do, and the thought came to me to write this week’s blog. I then did it.
I can’t make a eureka happen. All I can do is set the table. I do this by being bored. The more often I do it, the more often those thoughts happen. There is no pain for me in being bored. I enjoy it for what it has and continues to give to me.
