A Hidden Superpower

Quote I Loved: 

"Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know, that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom" - Terry Pratchett

Things I Am Thinking About:

Over the last few weeks I've tried to uncover the root cause of my unhealthy habits. Why do I go downstairs and grab an unhealthy snack? Why do I scroll through social media? Etc. 

A couple weekends ago it was -30 in Montana and we were forced to stay inside. I haven't really craved alcohol since I started this alcohol-free year. I might look at a drink and think, that looks good, but it was a fleeting thought. Well, on this -30 degree day, it was a reoccurring thought. All I wanted to do was open a nice bottle of whiskey and kick my feet up. Then it hit me. I wanted alcohol because "there was nothing else to do." I was bored and there was a small part of my brain that was telling me alcohol would make this more fun.

Is boredom really that strong? I started testing it as the root problem for some of my other bad habits. When I'm between meetings I find myself roaming downstairs and snacking. Why? Because I have a few minutes and instead of sitting there being bored my brain thinks, "you know what's more fun, eating something delicious!" When I find myself scrolling in a waiting room, yup, you guessed it, I was bored and wanted something to do.

There are so many ways to get a quick hit of dopamine, I'm rarely bored. Since I'm never bored, I never practice boredom, and instead, I default to dopamine inducing activities. This was such an epiphany I needed to tell someone. I brought it up to my dad and his response was, "you can never be bored if you are present." Whelp, that blew my mind.

I've been reflecting on it for a couple weeks and he's right. It's not really boredom I need to work on, it's being present. I'm not bored when I'm sitting around a fire because I'm constantly looking around and taking in my surroundings. I am not bored when I meditate because I am focused on my breathing.

Being present is a superpower. If I can continue to become more present, I will not only enjoy this precious, short life, I will also be addressing the root cause of many of my bad habits.

Questions I'm Asking Myself: 

In moments of boredom, how do I shift to being present? What is a powerful cue? How do I help others focus on being present when the easier thing to do is scroll, eat, drink, etc.?

Favorite Photo From the Week:

My girlfriend's dad, Jim, visited Montana this week. He hasn't been skiing in 32 years and you would have never known. After a couple runs on the lower part of the mountain to warm up, we made it to the top and were graced with beautiful views!

Till next week, be kind, be curious and work hard. 

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