Latest / Inspirations for Your Life / BOREDOM Might Be Exactly What Your Brain Needs (S5) S39:E6 Thursday

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BOREDOM Might Be Exactly What Your Brain Needs (S5) S39:E6 Thursday · Inspirations for Your Life

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Well, there, hello, everyone, and welcome to the
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That's like really amazing.
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That is once the show is over, a
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very important point there.
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All right, guys, without any further ado, let's
1:58
get into the show.
1:59
Welcome to another amazing, powerful episode of the
2:02
ever popular Inspirations for Your Life Show.
2:04
I'm John C.
2:05
Morley, serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing specialist, video producer,
2:09
podcast host, coach, keynote speaker, graduate student at
2:12
Montclair State University.
2:13
And so grateful now, ladies and gentlemen, to
2:15
be a published author.
2:17
It is great to be with you.
2:18
Our weekly master topic is your creativity isn't
2:20
gone, you just stop using it.
2:22
So today I want to talk to you
2:24
about something most of us, it's very hard
2:27
to avoid.
2:28
What is it, guys?
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It's called boredom.
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So we fill almost every empty moment with
2:32
scrolling videos, right?
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You know the people who are doing these
2:35
doomsday scrolling, you don't want to do that.
2:36
Music, messages or something else, or maybe just
2:40
staring into thin space.
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But what if a little bit of boredom
2:43
is exactly what we need for our creativity?
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So let's get started, everyone.
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Your brain doesn't need stimulation every second.
2:50
We become accustomed to having something completing to
2:53
our attention constantly.
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Some people have to be on the phone
2:56
24-7, some people have to be scrolling
2:57
24-7.
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But I want to encourage you to get
3:00
out and express your creativity.
3:03
But your brain doesn't need entertainment every walking
3:07
second of your life.
3:07
It doesn't.
3:08
So give it opportunities to process what you've
3:11
already experienced instead of continually feeding it something
3:14
new.
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Number two, guys, really important.
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Boredom can create space for ideas.
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Boredom doesn't automatically mean something is wrong.
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Sometimes it means nothing is demanding your attention.
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And that's good too.
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That empty space can become an opportunity for
3:29
your imagination to actually start working and cultivating
3:31
your life.
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Number three, start immediately, okay?
3:36
But stop immediately filling every quiet moment.
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You don't need every moment of your life
3:41
filled with something, okay?
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You really don't.
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So stop immediately filing every quiet moment with
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a sound.
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Notice what happens when you're basically, you know,
3:54
waiting somewhere.
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Do you automatically reach for your phone?
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Try resisting that impulse occasionally.
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Give yourself maybe a few minutes where nothing
4:03
needs to happen.
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And I think these are important things for
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us to know.
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But it's something we have to be aware
4:12
of.
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Number four, let your mind wander occasionally, okay?
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Your thoughts don't always need a destination.
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Let them move from one idea to another.
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Something that initially, you know, seems random may
4:26
eventually connect with a problem or opportunity you've
4:29
been thinking about for ages.
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Hey, good morning everyone, if you're watching me
4:34
live.
4:35
So number five, creativity.
4:37
It often appears between activities.
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Some of your best ideas may arrive while
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walking, while showering, while driving, while resting, or
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doing something routine.
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Even yes, guys, while sleeping.
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So creativity isn't limited to the moments when
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you officially decide it's time to create.
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Number six, guys, silence gives thoughts room to
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develop.
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Silence can feel uncomfortable when you're accustomed to
5:05
constant stimulation, okay?
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But without another, let's just say, a voice
5:10
occupying your attention, your own thoughts finally have
5:14
room to become louder.
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Number seven, guys, constant stimulation can drown out
5:19
subtle ideas.
5:21
Not every creative idea arrives like a lightning
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bolt.
5:24
Some begin as tiny observations or questions.
5:29
If you're constantly consuming somebody else's thoughts, you
5:34
may never notice your own beginning to form.
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I said this last night, we don't want
5:38
to be copying other people.
5:40
If we do that, we're not going to
5:42
show our own individuality.
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I think that's a very important thing for
5:47
us to understand.
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Number eight, you don't need to reach for
5:50
your phone immediately.
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I know a lot of people, they've got
5:53
to be like constantly reaching for the phone.
5:55
They've got to be on their phone 24
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-7.
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The phone isn't necessarily the problem, guys.
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The automatic behavior is.
6:03
Before unlocking that screen, okay, before I unlock
6:06
it, whether you actually need something or you
6:09
simply are avoiding a few seconds of stillness,
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I think it's important to be mindful of
6:13
what you're doing.
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Number nine, take a walk without consuming content.
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Try walking without a podcast on for a
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moment, okay?
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Yes, just in the nature.
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A video, a phone call, or music occasionally.
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Look around.
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Listen to what's happening.
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Let your thoughts travel wherever they want to
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go.
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So these are important things that I talk
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about every day.
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You know about my book.
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I talk about awareness.
6:41
I talk about burnout.
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And I go through this myself too.
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I've always got to refocus and figure out
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what can I do to be more intentional,
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right?
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Because it doesn't make me impervious to this
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just because of an author, just because of
6:54
an entrepreneur, just because I've been doing this
6:56
my whole life.
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I still got to be mindful of these
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things.
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Now that I'm mindful of them, I can
6:59
say, hey, John, what are you doing?
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Number 10, sit somewhere and simply just observe,
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right?
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Right now, I'm outside beautiful Blanton Hall at
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Montgomery University.
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There is a new science building going up
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actually to my left.
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And find a bench, a coffee shop, maybe
7:18
a park or another place where you can
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watch what's happening.
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Observation is one of our greatest sources of
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creative material because interesting details, they're everywhere in
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our life, right?
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They're everywhere.
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I mean, there's so much happening around us.
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Maybe a butterfly's near you.
7:35
Maybe there's a bird.
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Maybe there's other people walking.
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Maybe there's people with dogs, right?
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I've said before that we've got to pay
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attention to the entire forest, not just the
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trees in the forest.
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Number 11, notice details you've been moving around.
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Maybe they're too quick for you.
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We miss things when we're rushing a conversation,
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a pattern, an expression, a problem, or unusual
8:01
interactions could trigger an idea that may help
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us be productive or creative or be extremely
8:06
successful.
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Slow down enough to notice what's around you.
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Number 12, give yourself unscheduled thinking time.
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I think that's one that a lot of
8:14
people don't realize.
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You don't have to have your thinking time
8:18
scheduled.
8:19
Not every minute needs an assignment.
8:21
If your calendar controls every second, there's little
8:24
room for unexpected thinking.
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Now, I'm not saying the calendar's bad because
8:27
I live on my calendar, but you've got
8:28
to have some freedom to be able to
8:30
be outside the calendar.
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I use my calendar to give control back
8:34
to me and make sure that my day
8:36
doesn't get out of hand and that people
8:37
just don't show up on it, right?
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That's the important thing.
8:40
Leave occasional gaps where your mind gets to
8:42
decide where it wants to go.
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I put in gaps in my calendar just
8:46
to do nothing, but just to block out
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the time for me, all right?
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Number 13, daydreaming isn't always wasted time.
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We often treat daydreaming as unproductive, but imagination
8:58
needs freedom.
9:00
When your mind explores possibilities without worrying about
9:03
immediate results, it can make connections you wouldn't
9:07
deliberately plan on, all right?
9:09
Number 14, your brain can connect ideas when
9:14
you stop forcing it, okay?
9:16
So have you ever struggled with something?
9:18
Maybe you stepped away and you suddenly discovered
9:21
the answer.
9:22
Later, that is, right?
9:23
You were doing something.
9:24
Maybe you were working on something during the
9:26
day, and then suddenly you went to bed
9:27
and you woke up, and now it's like,
9:29
oh, I got that magic epiphany rolling, right?
9:31
So sometimes you already have all the pieces
9:35
inside you, right?
9:36
But they just haven't synthesized together into something
9:40
that could be viable.
9:41
So your brain simply needs time to connect
9:44
them, okay?
9:45
Number 15, stop demanding immediate answers.
9:49
We don't need immediate answers, okay?
9:51
We want answers now.
9:53
Creativity doesn't always work that way.
9:55
Some questions need to sit with you.
9:57
Give yourself permission to say, I don't know
9:59
yet, and allow the answer to develop.
10:01
These can be problems for people, because everybody
10:04
lives in an instant gratification world, where they
10:07
want everything now.
10:09
We've learned before that if you're dieting, for
10:12
example, and you want that piece of chocolate
10:14
cake, nothing wrong with the cake, okay?
10:16
But if you have a smaller piece of
10:18
cake or you don't have the cake, right?
10:20
You have delayed gratification.
10:21
What do you get?
10:22
Instant gratification is the chocolate rush, right?
10:24
All that good stuff.
10:24
But the delayed gratification is better, feeling better,
10:28
healthier, losing weight.
10:29
I'm not saying to never have the cake.
10:31
Make deliberate choices in your life.
10:35
And so whether you want to have the
10:36
cake, whether you want to have a bowl
10:38
of fruit, I think if we get into
10:40
the habit of knowing that we have choices
10:43
and we can make good choices in our
10:44
life, our life can change, not overnight, but
10:47
it can change.
10:48
Number 16, some ideas need time to develop.
10:53
The first version of an idea may be
10:57
incomplete.
10:58
Don't throw it away because it isn't ready.
11:00
Write it down.
11:01
Leave it alone.
11:02
Return later and see what has changed in
11:04
your life.
11:05
Number 17, guys, problems.
11:09
You know, I've had things for school.
11:11
I had one I got to tell you.
11:13
It was actually when I was an undergrad
11:15
working on my first degree.
11:19
And we had a professor.
11:21
I still remember to this day.
11:22
His name was Dr. Gray.
11:24
Very nice gentleman.
11:25
He was very respectable and all.
11:26
But for some reason, he always assigned projects
11:29
that were going to, like, destroy my social
11:31
life and my weekend.
11:33
Like, that's the thing.
11:34
When you're going for your, let's say, your
11:36
undergrad, you're going for a master's or second
11:39
master PhD, you got to make some sacrifices,
11:41
right?
11:42
So I remember this very clearly.
11:44
There was only about maybe 12 students in
11:46
the class.
11:47
And Dr. Gray was not an easy professor.
11:50
He was very good.
11:50
He was very smart.
11:52
He was not up to the things that
11:54
were in modern technology, but he knew technology
11:57
and computers very well from, you know, algorithms
12:00
and linked lists and all kinds of things.
12:02
So here's what happened.
12:03
I had to write a program.
12:04
I've written programs before.
12:05
I had to write a program to, I
12:07
think it was to build a database and
12:12
whatnot to basically gather information for a bowling
12:14
team.
12:15
The bowling team, let's say, manager would put
12:19
in their names.
12:21
They would put in their scores.
12:22
And it would have to keep track of
12:24
the team members on the team.
12:26
It would have to keep track of what
12:29
their score was for, you know, each frame,
12:32
because I'm not going to go into how
12:33
to score for bowling.
12:34
And the second thing it had to do,
12:35
had to keep track of the whole edges.
12:36
It had to give things like, you know,
12:38
top score.
12:40
We even got worst score.
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And now what we did with this stuff,
12:43
which is probably the part that was interesting,
12:45
in order to do this, like, really well,
12:47
you can't just put a program in, expect
12:50
it to run off disk, okay?
12:51
Or SSD or what have you.
12:53
It's going to be slow as you know
12:55
what.
12:55
So what I had to do is I
12:57
had to put it into a linked list
12:58
without getting too complicated.
13:00
A linked list is a dynamic structure in
13:02
memory that gets created as the program is
13:05
running.
13:05
We call it a runtime, okay?
13:07
A generation.
13:08
So it's ad hoc.
13:10
So that is dynamic.
13:12
It can be allocated.
13:13
It can be removed while the program is
13:15
running.
13:16
If you need structures before the program's running,
13:19
you could do some of that.
13:20
But dynamic space is expensive.
13:22
So you want to use it and you
13:24
want to put it back.
13:25
Well, here's what happened.
13:26
This is back in the days when I
13:27
had Borland.
13:28
And I had it in my dorm room.
13:29
I still remember using it.
13:31
In fact, I had an A on the
13:32
project.
13:34
And he actually wound up giving me a
13:36
B plus because I used my own compiler.
13:39
Anyway, long story short, that weekend I went,
13:43
did my stuff.
13:45
And the program kept crashing.
13:48
I couldn't solve it.
13:49
And then suddenly I said, I can't take
13:51
away from it.
13:52
So it was Saturday.
13:53
I remember Saturday doing some other things.
13:55
And on Sunday, we went to what we
13:57
call Canover Campus Center.
14:00
They've now transformed it into a whole new
14:03
restaurant.
14:03
I'm looking forward to going up to University
14:05
of Hartford probably in a couple months.
14:08
Was a past president.
14:09
So enjoy going back for that reunion.
14:12
In fact, when I was there, so I
14:16
went to Mass.
14:17
I came back.
14:18
And that little bit of time that I
14:20
stepped away, I stopped thinking about the problem.
14:23
And suddenly I said, oh, let me go
14:25
back and check these variables.
14:26
So Borland had a way that you could
14:28
check what's in them.
14:30
And I said, wait a minute.
14:32
I know what the problem is.
14:34
The problem is I'm reading garbage in.
14:37
So what was I supposed to do before
14:39
I used the link list?
14:40
The first lesson, and I will never forget
14:42
this in programming or engineering, you have to
14:45
initialize the list.
14:47
When you create it, all compilers don't create
14:51
it as nil, which means nothing.
14:52
So I want to share that with you.
14:54
But that problem was solved.
14:55
And that's something that I'll remember my whole
14:57
life.
14:57
So when people don't force every creative problem
15:00
to resolution immediately, they actually work.
15:04
So I went to Canover Campus Center.
15:06
I went to Mass.
15:06
I came back.
15:08
I think before I came back, they had
15:10
pizza after Mass.
15:12
And I came back and I just sat
15:14
down.
15:14
I'm like, oh, wait a minute.
15:16
And in literally five minutes, I solved the
15:19
problem.
15:20
I was afraid to step away.
15:22
But that's what I needed to do.
15:23
So don't force every problem.
15:26
Give yourself some distance.
15:28
Tomorrow's perspective may reveal something.
15:30
Tonight's frustration could never see.
15:33
Number 18, guys, step away from things when
15:36
you're forcing an idea.
15:37
So there's a difference between persistence and repetitively
15:41
pushing against the same wall, right?
15:43
We all know we've been there, whether it's
15:45
a gym, whether it's in academics, whether it's
15:47
with a relationship.
15:48
If you've been staring at something without progress
15:51
for a very long time, like my problem,
15:54
just step away from it.
15:56
Reset your attention and return with fresh eyes.
15:59
That's the most important thing.
16:01
That's what I did by going to church
16:03
and doing what I had to do and
16:03
coming back.
16:04
I changed my whole life.
16:06
I solved the problem.
16:07
And I have an answer that now I
16:09
will never write a program without initializing a
16:12
link list again, whether it does it or
16:14
not.
16:14
And it was a simple routine.
16:15
It was a simple for loop.
16:17
And I had to just remember.
16:18
So as I created it, I had to
16:19
just run through and I had to initialize
16:21
it.
16:21
That's all I did.
16:22
So before I would read a value, initialize
16:24
it.
16:25
So create the link list, initialize it, and
16:27
then start.
16:28
Then you can read.
16:29
I was reading stuff to see if it
16:30
was nil, but it had garbage in it,
16:32
and it crashed the program.
16:34
That's why a lot of programs crash today.
16:36
Number 19, distance can reveal solutions.
16:39
When you're too close to a problem, every
16:41
detail feels important.
16:42
So distance changes perspective.
16:44
Sometimes the solution becomes obvious only after you
16:48
stop staring directly at the problem.
16:52
And that's what happened to me, guys.
16:53
Just to repeat, that's what happened to me.
16:55
A lot of people feel if I step
16:56
away from the problem, I'm going to lose
16:58
time.
16:59
You may think you're going to lose time,
17:00
but you're actually going to get your long
17:03
-term and your short-term brain to work
17:04
together.
17:05
That's why I tell a lot of people,
17:07
if you got a problem, think about the
17:09
problem before you're falling asleep and just let
17:11
it go.
17:12
And you'll probably find a solution when you
17:13
wake up.
17:13
I didn't have a dream about the challenge.
17:16
Number 20, change your environment when you're creatively
17:19
stuck.
17:20
I do this all the time when I'm
17:21
writing.
17:22
Move somewhere else.
17:23
I love to take a trip or go
17:25
somewhere like a little retreat spot.
17:28
Pull up my laptop.
17:29
I'm not a writer that writes with pen
17:30
and paper.
17:31
I do a laptop.
17:32
But still, I'm with nature, OK?
17:35
Go work in another room.
17:36
I do that a lot on campus.
17:38
I pop around different places to see where
17:39
I can go.
17:40
Go outside, like where I am right now.
17:42
Visit a library park or a coffee shop.
17:44
A different environment introduces new sights, sounds, patterns,
17:47
and even possibilities.
17:49
Our mind, when it sees something new and
17:51
experiences something new, it's like, hey, wait a
17:53
minute.
17:54
Maybe I should give this spot a chance.
17:56
Number 21, let curiosity guide your attention.
18:00
You don't always need a productive reason to
18:03
explore something.
18:04
If something catches your attention, investigate it.
18:06
Curiosity often discovers connections that efficiency would never
18:11
bother looking for.
18:14
Number 22, observe people, places, patterns, and conversations.
18:19
Creative material is everywhere.
18:21
Watch how people solve problems.
18:24
Notice what frustrates them.
18:26
Listen to questions people repeatedly ask.
18:29
Pay attention to patterns.
18:31
Ordinary life can become an idea generator, guys.
18:34
Just walking outside in the park and maybe
18:36
just taking a breath, right?
18:38
I want to share something with you real
18:39
quick.
18:39
It's John's 4-2-6 exercise.
18:42
So to do it is really simple.
18:43
Don't do this if you're driving, please.
18:44
So it's called 4, it's called 2, and
18:46
it's called 6.
18:47
So what I want you to do is
18:48
I want you to inhale through the nose.
18:50
Hold it for a count of 2.
18:52
Exhale for a count of 6, right?
18:53
So we're going to inhale.
18:55
Hold it for a count of 2.
18:57
Exhale for a count of 6.
19:00
We're going to do it again.
19:01
Inhale for a count of 4 in the
19:02
nose.
19:04
Hold it for a count of 2.
19:06
Exhale for a count of 6.
19:09
One more time.
19:10
Inhale for a count of 4.
19:13
Hold it for a count of 2.
19:14
Exhale for a count of 6.
19:18
My 4-2-6 breathing technique is also
19:19
in my book, by the way.
19:21
So number 23, creativity needs experiences to connect.
19:26
Your imagination needs material.
19:29
New experiences, conversations, places, subjects, and challenges giving
19:33
your brain more pieces to work with.
19:35
Creativity often comes from connecting things that previously
19:39
seemed unrelated.
19:40
And I think that can be a big
19:42
issue for a lot of people.
19:44
Number 24, make room for unexpected thoughts.
19:48
Not every useful thought arrives during a scheduled
19:52
creative session.
19:53
Keep somewhere to capture ideas quickly.
19:57
Write them down before deciding whether they're good,
20:00
they're bad, they're practical, or maybe they're even
20:02
ridiculous.
20:03
So stop scheduling every minute of your mind,
20:06
number 25.
20:07
Structure can be valuable, guys.
20:09
But your mind isn't a machine that needs
20:12
every second assigned.
20:14
And leave some mental white space.
20:17
Creativity needs places where something specific is required.
20:20
I go to class, as you know, every
20:21
week.
20:22
And sometimes the professor keeps speaking.
20:24
I would love if he or she would
20:26
leave a pause, a moment to say, hey,
20:30
all right, class, so what do you think
20:31
about that?
20:31
Instead of asking any questions, you know, how
20:36
does that resonate in your mind?
20:37
Ask a different question.
20:39
And if the professor doesn't ask it, why
20:40
don't you ask the question, number 26.
20:44
Quiet can become productive.
20:47
Proactivity isn't always visible.
20:50
Sitting quietly may look like you're doing nothing.
20:52
But your mind could be processing, organizing, connecting,
20:55
questioning, and developing ideas beneath the surface, number
20:59
27, guys.
21:00
Rest can support creativity.
21:02
I said this before.
21:04
You know, maybe you're like so stressed.
21:06
Now, I could have rested, but I couldn't
21:08
rest at school because I was very stressed
21:11
about this project.
21:12
I didn't go out with my friends.
21:13
I think when it was time to get
21:16
something to eat, I literally just went to
21:18
the Hawk's Nest late at night, which is
21:20
our late night restaurant.
21:21
I had a pizza or had some chicken
21:23
or a burger.
21:25
And I just came back to my dorm.
21:27
So number 27, rest can support creativity.
21:30
Exhaustion doesn't automatically make you more creative.
21:33
Sometimes the best thing you can do for
21:34
an idea is stop working on it.
21:37
Rest can help you return it with more
21:40
energy and perspective.
21:42
Number 28, give your imagination time without an
21:45
assignment.
21:46
Try imagining something without asking whether it can
21:49
become a business, a project, a video, a
21:52
product, or even a piece of content.
21:54
Creativity deserves opportunities to exist simply because an
21:59
idea is interesting.
22:01
And I think that's an important piece, guys.
22:03
Number 29, sometimes the breakthrough arrives when we
22:08
stop chasing it.
22:10
This happened to me the other day.
22:13
My first piece of viral content, if I
22:16
have to remember, I got to go check
22:17
my phone.
22:18
I believe it was back.
22:20
Let me just see here.
22:21
I'm looking at my phone because I forget
22:22
the exact date, but I can tell you
22:24
it was actually, I'm going to my most
22:27
popular content here.
22:28
The stuff that people like really seem to
22:31
like.
22:32
And let me see what that is.
22:35
The most, TikTok just changed their, they changed
22:37
their whole app recently.
22:39
I don't know why they did this, but
22:40
they changed their whole app around.
22:43
So stuff you used to have, like there's
22:44
a like, there's a heart button.
22:47
There's a save button.
22:48
There is a reshare button.
22:50
There is a story archive button.
22:52
There is, let's see here.
22:57
So I don't, so they changed the way
22:58
they did their whole thing, unfortunately.
23:00
So my most popular video, let's see, roughly
23:05
was around, I think it was like around,
23:09
I don't know, maybe 45, 65,000.
23:12
I was invited to cover the implosion of
23:15
the building, Sheridan Mahwah Towers.
23:20
A building that has a lot of significance
23:22
to me because I have my junior ring
23:23
dance there.
23:25
And not to get into whole details of
23:27
that, but you can Google that video.
23:29
But my point is, is that this video
23:33
that I shot, I didn't expect it to
23:35
go viral.
23:36
A lot of videos that I shoot now,
23:37
the reason they go viral, I'm gonna be
23:39
honest with you.
23:41
It's because I'm not trying to be anything.
23:44
I'm just being myself.
23:46
If it goes viral, it goes viral.
23:47
If it doesn't, I don't care.
23:49
I just create content.
23:50
And I wanna create meaningful content that's gonna
23:53
make a difference.
23:54
So you struggle with an answer, which we
23:57
all do sometimes, just move on.
23:59
And suddenly the solution will appear while you're
24:01
doing something completely unrelated.
24:04
Stepping Away wasn't quitting, right?
24:06
Going to Mass wasn't quitting.
24:07
It was giving my brain a chance to
24:09
say, let's stop putting the energy on it
24:12
so my brain could work on it in
24:14
the background.
24:14
That's what happens when you go to sleep.
24:16
So Stepping Away wasn't quitting, guys.
24:17
It created a space for another way of
24:21
my brain to think.
24:22
Number 30, before saying you're out of ideas,
24:26
give your mind enough room to have an
24:28
idea.
24:29
This is what I want you to remember
24:31
for today, all right?
24:33
This is what a lot of people will
24:36
not do, but it's your choice.
24:38
Maybe you're out of ideas is the way
24:41
you think of it, but maybe you're not
24:43
out of ideas, okay?
24:44
Maybe your mind is slightly overcrowded.
24:49
If every moment contains another video, a notification,
24:53
a conversation, an article, a podcast, a message,
24:56
or a piece of content, when does your
24:58
imagination get a turn?
24:59
So even though I create a lot of
25:01
content, right, guys, I do let my brain
25:03
rest.
25:04
I do enjoy my sleep.
25:06
One thing I've been trying to do, it's
25:08
been a little challenging with some of my
25:10
schedule, but I try to give myself at
25:13
least seven or eight hours of sleep.
25:16
And that's what I do.
25:18
If every spare moment contains another video, right,
25:22
or another piece of content, it's not giving
25:24
my mind time to say, wait a minute,
25:26
what else is out there, okay?
25:28
I'm not telling you today to throw away
25:32
your devices or stop learning from other people.
25:34
That's not what I'm saying.
25:36
I'm asking you to become intentional about the
25:38
spaces between all that stimulation you get in
25:41
your mind.
25:42
That can be stimulation from reading a book.
25:44
And I definitely encourage you to check out
25:46
BelieveMeAchieved.com later.
25:48
Also check out my book, Drained to Driven.
25:51
Talk the walk without filling it.
25:55
That's weird.
25:56
So sit quietly for a few minutes.
25:58
Can you do that?
25:59
You can do the 4-2-6 breathing
26:00
technique.
26:02
There's another thing I do and it works
26:03
really well.
26:04
I use something called A, okay?
26:10
P, W.
26:11
So A stands for abundance, okay?
26:14
P stands for peace.
26:17
And W stands for, well, W.
26:21
So A, P, W.
26:22
And what I try to do is with
26:23
a breath in, I'm grateful for the abundance,
26:26
okay?
26:27
And you can do everything.
26:28
But what I also like to say is
26:30
with every breath in, more abundance flows in.
26:33
With every breath out, strength and tension rolls
26:35
out.
26:35
Every breath in, more abundance rolls in.
26:38
With every breath out, more stress and tension
26:41
rolls out.
26:41
And just keep doing that.
26:43
Maybe sit somewhere quiet.
26:45
You can close your eyes.
26:45
It's completely up to you.
26:47
But take the time and do this.
26:49
Do it for a minute if you're so
26:51
busy.
26:52
You're going to see you're going to want
26:53
to add two minutes.
26:53
You're going to want to add five.
26:55
You're going to want to do 50.
26:56
When I first started meditating, I was like,
26:58
oh, I want this to be over now.
26:59
It's like, oh my gosh, I want to
27:00
do it for more than an hour.
27:02
Like the time just kind of disappears.
27:05
Look around while you're waiting.
27:06
Instead of automatically scrolling, you could be at
27:08
a traffic light.
27:09
You could be in line at a fast
27:11
food restaurant.
27:12
You could even be waiting for your meal.
27:14
Or you could be just waiting your turn
27:18
somewhere for something.
27:20
Maybe you're on the phone holding with some
27:21
music.
27:23
Ponder how grateful you are for being able
27:26
to hear that message, OK?
27:28
So let yourself notice.
27:31
Let yourself become bored occasionally.
27:33
At first, your mind may tell you to
27:35
grab the phone.
27:36
Wait a little longer.
27:37
You may start remembering something, then questioning something,
27:41
then connecting one thought with another thought, all
27:45
right?
27:46
Suddenly, ideas begin forming.
27:48
And that might never have appeared if you
27:51
filled that moment with somebody else's content.
27:54
Remember, our weekly master topic is your creativity
27:57
isn't gone.
27:57
You stop using it.
27:58
Creativity isn't always about trying harder.
28:01
Sometimes it's about creating enough space for imagination
28:03
to start working again.
28:05
We're often so worried about wasting time that
28:08
we forget thinking takes time.
28:11
We're so determined to consume information that we
28:13
forget our minds also need opportunities to produce
28:15
something.
28:16
So here's your challenge for today.
28:18
Find one small period today when you would
28:20
normally reach for stimulation like your phone.
28:23
Don't immediately grab your phone.
28:24
Don't automatically turn something on.
28:26
Just observe.
28:27
Just think.
28:28
Just walk.
28:29
Just wonder.
28:29
Just be.
28:30
Let your mind go somewhere you didn't schedule.
28:32
Because the next idea you're looking for may
28:35
already be something inside your mind waiting for
28:38
enough quiet to be noticed.
28:40
Boredom might not be the enemy.
28:42
We've made it out to be that.
28:44
Sometimes it may be an open door, and
28:47
creativity needs open doors.
28:49
And I think this is the important thing
28:51
for all of us to realize today is
28:53
that open doors are just a perspective, okay?
28:56
I'm John C.
28:57
Morley, Serial Entrepreneur.
28:58
This has been another powerful episode of Inspiration
29:00
for Your Life.
29:00
I thank you so much for spending this
29:02
time with me today.
29:05
Keep learning.
29:06
Keep exploring.
29:07
Keep creating.
29:07
And remember, guys, to give your imagination enough
29:10
room to surprise you.
29:12
And you know what, guys?
29:13
I'm going to see you on another episode
29:14
real soon.
29:16
Hopefully our distractions today didn't get into the
29:18
way too much.
29:19
But hey, we are on a live campus,
29:21
so we never know what's going to happen.
29:22
Have yourself a great one.
29:23
I'll catch you.
29:24
Be well.
29:25
Don't forget, bebelievemeachieved.com.
29:52
Bye.