Doing Nothing

“It’s common to believe that life is a series of external experiences. And that we must live an outwardly extraordinary life in order to have something to share. The experience of our inner world is often completely overlooked.” - Rick Rubin

Did you ever feel anxious spending the whole Sunday relaxing on a bench in the park ‘doing nothing’? No books, no phones, no agenda, no nothing. Just being there, sitting or lying on the grass. Why do you feel so anxious?

Maybe this is because you say to yourself that you should be productive, you should be working, you should be progressing towards your goals and objectives. You also have responsibilities, things you have to ‘do’, places you ‘need’ to be at.

Sitting in a park “does” nothing for you. There is no economic unit associated with it. It does not ‘grow you’ or make ‘you better’. Or does it?

However, looking inwards and paying attention to our sensations, emotions, patterns of our thoughts, as opposed to outwards, provides all sorts of hidden benefits that can enhance your experience in the outside world.

For example, from my direct experience, the best ideas originate when you are not busy doing other things. The deepest reflections form when you take a break from incoming firehose of information and allowing you to experience your originality.