Let’s hear it for boredom. Three cheers for being bored.
The world would be a pretty boring place if people didn’t get bored.
Being bored isn’t a problem, UNLESS you accept it as the way things will always be. If you find yourself in a state of boredom and do nothing about it, you become a bore.
[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”4599″ title=”From UberHumor.com” align=”right” lightbox=”true” size=”medium” width=”354″ height=”443″ autoHeight=”true” link=”http://uberhumor.com/when-youre-really-bored” linkTarget=”_blank”]BUT —
If you find yourself bereft of “anything in particular to do” you can use it as an opportunity to try something new, to experiment, to adjust, alter, tweak or change. Being bored helps you see the incredible power hidden in the tedium of sameness. The key to harnessing boredom is to see the doldrums for what they are — quiet clarions to the possibility of change.
New ideas often come as the result of immediate need; as the solution to an acute situation. Change often occurs when we’re looking to fix something that doesn’t work. Boredom–on the other hand–is the passive catalyst that leads us to fix things that AREN’T broken.

Use Boredom to Your Advantage

Think of an activity where you experience better-than-average competency; something you do frequently well and tend to enjoy.
Consider all the elements of that activity and find an area where the functions have become automatic or mundane; where you succeed without even thinking about how.
Now, jot down some ways to throw a wrench into your well-oiled machine by experimenting with a new approach. Not change for the sake of change, but rather change for the sake of better results.
Learn to recognize boredom for the opportunity it presents. Avoid the trap of becoming comfortable with recurring success. Recurring success begets complacency, which begets failure.
Share Your Stories
How have you used boredom to slingshot you to greater success?

PS – My thanks to TEDx presenter (and good friend) Kristen Wheeler for planting the seed of this idea.