Boredom. First of all, the way it's worded as if boredom is a thing. We don't jump into a puddle of boredom and then end up bored for the rest of the day. Boredom isn't a thing. Boredom is a process. You may not like what I'm about to say next, especially if you're often bored. Here goes anyway.
If you're ever bored, it's because you're boring yourself. Boredom doesn't occur externally. It's an internal state of mind that is labeled by a person as "boredom". The thing is that we have complete control over our minds. We're running the show. So if we experience boredom, we're the ones who steered ourselves down that path. If you catch yourself boring yourself, remind yourself that it's you doing it. "Hey, I'm boring myself. I better activate my mind and think about something else to create a different emotional state." You have between your ears the greatest supercomputer ever created. May as well use it, especially if you find yourself bored. That's how to "cure" boredom from the inside-out.
But wait, there's more! Here's another method to cure boredom from the outside in. Much of what we do throughout the day is so habitual that we often go on auto-pilot. We do things automatically without consciously thinking about them. This is nice for simplicity and making our lives easier. However, the brain likes novelty. It likes new and different experiences. Therefore, begin to do things differently.
What I'm suggesting is to begin to do things differently. Upload a new program to your mind computer whose main task is to "Do something differently." Did you drive the same way to work? Drive a different way. Did you brush your teeth in the exact same way today? I'm betting you did. Try something different. The other hand. Did you eat the same food at the same restaurant? I do this all the time. Try something completely new! Trying new things stimulates our brains and allows us to experience different things. It revitalizes us and gets us fired up about life.
I estimate that 90% or more of what we do throughout the day is purely habitual. That's why it's so important to have good habits but that's a whole other article entirely. Track yourself to find out for sure. Monitor yourself as you go throughout your day. Are you doing the same thing over and over? Try something else out. Doing different things will yield you different experiences and thoughts. And that's the way to fend off boredom from the outside-in.
In this article, you've acquired two new skills for how to defeat boredom forever. Taking charge of your mind from the inside-out is one. Consciously doing things differently from the outside-in is the other. Enjoy! I'm off to lunch. I was going to go to the same place I always go and order the same thing but after writing this article, I'm trying something new!
Kent Sayre is author of the bestselling book "Unstoppable Confidence" endorsed by such celebrity authors as Brian Tracy, Robert Allen, and Jim Rohn.
