Are you feeling that work is starting to quiet down, especially after the long Thanksgiving weekend, or are you in a mad dash to close those final deals, wrap up key initiatives, and keep the momentum strong through the end of the year?
There is a lot being written about giving ourselves space – time for reflection, time to do nothing, time to be bored. Yes, you read that right. We need to have time to be bored.
Professor Arthur C. Brooks from Harvard made this short videowe need to practice it for at least 15 minutes a day. Put your phone down so your mind can wander. You’ll be happier and healthier for it.
Worth the share
The other day, I stumbled upon Desiderata, a poem that was popular in my younger years. Written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann, it is packed with wisdom and advice to live by. If you have never read it, take a moment to do that. And if you are a fan like I am, a reread will fill your soul.
“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
#wisewords
“…I also believe that introversion is my greatest strength. I have such a strong inner life that I’m never bored and only occasionally lonely. No matter what mayhem is happening around me, I know I can always turn inward.”
–Susan Cain
And Finally...
Giving our brains space is a gift we can give ourselves. I recently led a workshop for the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce on goal-setting, beginning with the importance of dreaming about what you want from life. Goals are useful tactics. They are most sticky when grounded in our purpose and values. Laddering goals up to our dreams is incredibly powerful.
What are your dreams? Detach from your devices. Get bored and let your mind wander. Take time to dream this holiday season
Have a great week,
Mary Jo