It’s amazing what happens when you remove yourself from the everyday grind. All of a sudden the world is full of possibilities. We get to sit still and think instead of rushing to address the next thing on our never-ending list. We have new ideas, we get creative.
I grew up always working and lining up the next thing to do on my list. Idle time meant laziness. My mother worked fulltime, then cleaned our house from top to bottom every week and when she finally sat down, she knitted sweaters, made table cloths and hooked carpets. My father was gone all day and manufactured dies in his basement workshop on the side.
So it seems only natural to always work. After all isn’t that what we’re supposed to do as human beings? Free time is for the rich and the lazy. We have purpose when we work. We are busy, we make a living. While it is certainly important to pay bills and save for retirement, for most of us, this is also called a “rut.†And whenever we are in a rut, we put thinking aside. In fact, part of the rut is to fill the remaining bits of time with phone calls, texting, e-mail, Facebook, TV and video games. Just about anything is better than to do “nothing.â€
But here is the thing, if you sit quietly, you’re actually working hard. Your mind expands as you explore new paths. Now that I’m on vacation in a quiet place, I can finally reflect. About my life, my family. Where I am and where I want to go. All of a sudden it is okay to stare out the window with nothing in my hands. The phone is quiet, the laptop is packed away (most of the time).
So, if you can stop for a moment and take a break. You don’t have to be on vacation. Even a half hour during the weekend will allow you to begin this process of climbing out of your rut. Do it now, put “thinking†on your to-do list. And be amazed what happens.