Sick of it All? You're Likely Bored ??

High-performers have a serious dislike for boredom.

Nothing chaps the butt of a high-performer like being bored. We treat being bored like getting head lice.

When you get used to regular, action-packed success boredom shows up in really frustrating ways. It reminds me of the great quote from the film Wayne’s World. Our slacker hero Wayne Campbell, played by Mike Myers said:

“I once thought I had mono for an entire year.?It turned out I was just really bored.”?

It’s important to learn what boredom is and what it is isn’t.

Three years since the start of the pandemic, I recall how painfully boredom affected the lives of every leader I coached. There was a powerlessness that made us confront so many truths we avoided by over-working.

Truths like:

• We are capable of binge-watching way too much TV with our kids.
• We have a really hard time ever slowing down.
• Our jobs that used to bring us fulfillment now feel small and meaningless, especially with so many people suffering.

Even now in coaching, whenever I notice growing frustration, or “I’m just spinning my wheels” week to week, boredom is something we have to explore.

REMEMBER: In coaching, it’s not the thing— in this case, the thing is boredom.?It’s our relationship to the thing.

How do you handle boredom, and what are you going to do about it? Ask yourself if you make your boredom anyone else’s problem.?

I’ve also coached a lot of Chief People Officers, who lead teams of people whose job includes keeping everyone else engaged.

Picture yourself with your arms crossed as a small child, saying “I’m bored! Entertain me!” Not a good look for the leader. Now, what do you tell your own kids, or a friend who repeatedly says, “I’m bored”?

The terminally bored have forgotten their power. To turn their awareness of boredom into the major opportunity it is to create what they want.

Boredom shows up as:

1 - The Boredom Cycle.??? Do you get the itch to change jobs, or expect a major promotion every couple years??

2 - Prolonged frustration with others.?When everyone around you stays in your “hot seat” for too long, you probably need to look at yourself. Are you bored?

3 - Mild malaise to serious depression.?If we forget boredom is just another emotion, versus some hellish purgatory, we get stuck there. We start feeling really sad that we’re so disenchanted. Feelings about feelings that pull us down into true unhappiness.

Fortunately, boredom is an incredible opportunity.

I wrote about this in the?Permission to Feel All the Feels?chapter of my book?Permission to Glow.?'The Boredom Opportunity' is huge.

[Excerpt, page 115, Permission to Glow— A Spiritual Guide to Epic Leadership]

Boredom sits at the exact midpoint of the emotional spectrum. It’s completely neutral, like the beige walls of a cubicle. Just above boredom is contentment or being satisfied with what is. Just beneath boredom is frustration or being dissatisfied.?

Getting out of boredom isn’t as complex as finding some way to be joyful. Joy isn’t accessible from the midpoint of the scale. However, getting out of boredom can be as simple as asking yourself what’s in the way of contentment.?

• This is the restless parent who hasn’t taken enough breaks from their family, who decides to take a breath, and then scraps the dinner plan for something more creative.?
• This is the under-challenged manager who reallocates their time in order to mentor others.?
• This is the senior executive who tees off guilt-free with zero business outcome. Once we feel just a bit more satisfied, we can find a way back to feeling hope, maybe a little optimism, and up into enthusiasm.

Be wary any time you want to escape boredom. There are always more newsfeeds to scroll and videos or beverages to consume. Remember, anytime you feel a hint of boredom, you get to choose. It can be your trapdoor down to the depths or your escape hatch up to the heights.

Stay in the discomfort for a moment. By taking a minute to find out what the boredom is saying, you give yourself Permission to Feel All the Feels. In feeling wherever you are in the moment, adjacent possibilities appear.?

You can then navigate north or south. We tend to slide down the emotional scale unconsciously but need to move up the scale consciously. Whining about boredom reinforces it. Noticing and navigating empowers us.?

[End excerpt # # #]

Great coaching helps us turn an indicator like boredom into a whole new galaxy of choices. It’s the work of noticing month to month that we can not settle for boredom— not giving that power to anyone else, or to any outward conditions.

You’re bored? Have you been making that a problem?

What do you want to do about it?

Awareness of your Boredom Cycle paves the?path back up to Joy and Purpose.

Our coaching team does this all day, every day. Explore coaching.?

Excited to hit the road and teach:??? ???? ♂? ??

• This Wednesday I’ll speak about Stress as an Indicator for Change at Bounce Innovation Hub, here in Akron, OH.?Free and open to the public. 12N
• Next week I’ll deliver the opening keynote for the Public Relations Society of America in Orlando.?“Well-Being to Fuel Positive Influence”
• The following week, I’ll teach the?Joy of Purpose?retreat at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Western Mass. Come join a growing circle of amazing people.?Work from a stunning location and?reconnect deeply with your Joy + Purpose. May 8-12