In this week’s video, I share how one question years ago changed my life and my work. That question was, “Barb, how do you deal with boredom?”.

At the time, boredom looked like something to avoid. It looked like a “real thing” that required some action on my part. And that action usually meant more activity: internally and externally.

If I had any indicator of boredom, I got restless. And that restlessness was an invitation to get busy.

Getting “busy” resulted in more mental activity, sped-up thinking, ruminating, figuring things out. I would grab my phone, my computer, read emails, search the internet, turn on the T.V. I would start to consume. This felt like the thing to do. I had to address the restlessness, the boredom.

When I was challenged and encouraged to see boredom as a temporary state-of-mind, not a real thing to address, I began to see how my internal state, my sped-up thinking was affecting my life. I began to question the idea that boredom and restlessness was a call to action.

One of the first things I began to see was how much thinking I had going on – all the time. Then I saw how fast all that thinking was. This was my “norm”. So much so, that I had no awareness the impact it was having. It just looked and felt normal.

Once I was willing to question my “normal” or my idea of boredom, something really powerful began to happen. I went from respecting ALL my thinking and being in a feeling of rush, restlessness and pressure into moments of internal ease, spaciousness and connecting to a deeper feeling of well-being.

Those moments left a residue. They showed me the truth of boredom, of having less on my mind. They showed me the downside to my busy mind. Here’s what became evident…

Higher quality ideas, creativity, deeper connections and greater impact come when we have less on our minds.

Beyond the noise of our thinking is a deeper well of insight, knowing and connection. 

All of the sudden my “normal” started to look like there might be another, more beneficial way. Boredom no longer looked like something to avoid but an invitation to go beyond the momentary and temporary experience and fall into more spaciousness, a quieter mind. And in that quieter mind, I was having more impact, connection and inspired ideas.

I began to experience the real difference between THINKING ABOUT my life and BEING IN my life.

Listen in as I share how an idea I held as a truth: “Boredom is bad and should be avoided at all costs.” has turned into a gateway for more depth, fulfillment, impact and joy. REALLY! Try it – you just might like it!