Dad, I'm Bored!
When my kids were little there was one thing they would say to set me off.
“Dad, I’m bored.”
My response was generally something like this:
“Well, then do something.”
Eye rolls would ensue.
From all of us involved.
Do I get bored sometimes as an adult?
I do.
Is it healthy?
I don’t think so.
Boredom is an interesting concept. It’s not having nothing to do. It can’t be that. We have a million things we can do.
Boredom is not having the desire to do anything.
That’s not a great place to be.
I should note here. I am a HUGE fan of doing nothing. Be present. Rest. Be still. Doing nothing for hours or days on end can heal a person.
I am not a fan of boredom, however.
If you aren’t at a place where doing nothing on purpose seems right for you, do you know what you need to do? It’s the same thing I told my kids. Don’t roll your eyes.
领英推荐
“If you’re bored, do something.”
Actually, I want to add to that. Since you need to do something anyway, why not this…
“If you’re bored, do the something only you can do that the world needs.”
This is your calling.
It’s your next adventure.
You have one more adventure in you.
As I said that today to a friend over coffee, I could see a fire rekindle behind his eyes. I looked at him and simply said, “You’ve got at least one more adventure in you.” That’s all it took to see the flame flicker — a simple reminder is often all we need to drive the threat of boredom away.
My friend, you’ve got at least one more adventure in you as well.
Boredom is not an option.
Do nothing on purpose if you need to rest.
Then, do something.
Actually…don’t just do “something.”
Do your one thing!
If you don’t know what your one thing is yet or how to start doing it, I can help.
See below for details on my upcoming Life Calling 101 Workshops.
I am inviting you to join me in one of the first two half-day Life Calling 101 Workshops:
Email me at [email protected] to reserve your spot.
Director of Operations - Motive Power at Alpine Power Systems
1 周Thank you Joe for leading well ????
I am a full-bore creative, both a fine-art photographer and a professional writer. Am looking for connections in the museum / art exhibition world to display my work on glacial retreat and addiction.
4 周As someone who is hardly ever bored — a hefty dose of ADD-HD takes care of that— I do find there are times in my 80th year I just can't summon the energy to do the things that I have actually committed to do. Some of this is energy loss, but some — and here's my point — is actually the result of depression. I love my work as a writer, fine art photographer, and photo restoration pro — but some days it's just too much. Not boredom, depresssion. I agree with you about finding your calling, and living it, because I've been lucky enough to do just that. But boredom can be a mask for depression, and there ways to deal with depression. It's something I'd rule out before saying "I'm bored" and zoning out in front of the tv.