Boredom is the Most Dangerous Luxury

I recently received a text from a new friend,

“Soooo bored 😭”

I laughed to myself – I haven’t been bored in years. In fact, boredom is a red flag to me. I think that boredom is a big, important line on which people are divided. In other words, there is an essential difference between people who get bored and people who don’t. I make this claim because I used to become bored at times. These days, however, I don’t think that becoming bored would be possible. I haven’t been bored in years.

Why not do Boredom?

Boredom is a symptom is being out of touch with your purpose. In each moment we have an opportunity to live our fullest purpose by expressing ourselves fully. Whether we’re at work, at home, out getting groceries, at a party, wherever – each moment is another opportunity to express ourselves in any way that we can imagine. The answer to the question, “how can I express myself in this moment” is always “somehow.” There is always a way. There’s always a way out of boredom. Perhaps it begins with believing that there is a way.

Boredom isn’t cool. No one sees another person doing boredom and says, “oh hey, I want to be like that guy!” No one sees a bored person across the room and says, “now there’s the woman I want to marry!” Boredom isn’t inspiring. We’re inspired by people who are motivated. We’re inspired by people who are energized, and who have figured out how to make the most of their gifts.

There are an infinite number of better ways to spend your time than being bored. Think about opportunity cost, the concept that says if you’re spending your time doing one thing, you’re inherently not spending your time doing something else. If you’re spending your time being bored, you’re not spending your time learning, creating, or helping others. You’re not even spending time having fun! Any of these options would be better than being bored.

Finding Your Way Out of Boredom

Sometimes, if you’re bored, you can Jedi mind trick yourself out of boredom by asking the question, “what would I be doing if I weren’t bored?” Answering this question can help you to picture a version of yourself in the same exact situation where you were once feeling bored but are now feeling excited, engaged, and invigorated.

Getting out of a boredom run can sometimes involve changing beliefs. Spend some time thinking about your beliefs around the importance of your purpose. For example, is it worth your time to spend another moment inside your comfort zone when the path to your deepest purpose lies on the other side?

If you’re not aware of what your deepest purpose is, that’s okay – just have faith that you will eventually find your purpose, keep searching, and it will happen eventually. Meditate, go for a walk, or do some other head-clearing activity and put your attention on what your deepest purpose might be. What is it that you would ideally like to give to the world? What were you put on this earth to do?