I have some of the best conversations, those thought provoking ones where you are left amused and a little awestruck that a child carries so much wisdom inside of them. They also are a reflection of our own stubbornness when it comes to managing our own minds.
The little girl that I watch delights and amuses me at every turn. I've watched her grow from a 5 month old infant, feeding her, changing her diapers, watching her learn how to sit up on her own, crawl, toddle and eventually run. She has a ton of energy, joy, and laughter. An amazing sense of humor and a streak of stubbornness a mile long. I love all of these things about her. Especially her creative mind and chatter and I love when she's stubborn and set in her mind that life is unfair at times and very boring.
Our conversation went something like this......"Ms. Shel, I'm bored." I shared with her that we don't have to ever feel bored when God has created our brains for so much imagination. That we can always think up an amazing story in our minds and then find a piece of paper and draw our creation out on it or gather up our stuffy's for some fun and play. She said, "but Ms. Shel, what if there is no paper to draw on? What if all I had was a room with a floor and a bed?" I smiled to myself as I said to her. Is that ever going to be true? You have a mountain of paper, pencils, markers and crayons both at my house and at your house. How could it ever be true that you only have a floor and a bed? Not only that, you always have God to talk to and yourself. So there is never a reason to feel bored or alone.
We started to make up a story about her pet Unicorn, named Rainbow who loved to jump over rainbows and couldn't wait for a rainy day so that the sun could come back out and give us another rainbow to jump over.
The next day as I was sitting in my office trying to decide what to write about and nothing in particular was coming to mind I heard myself saying, "I'm bored. I don't know what to write about......" and then I chuckled to myself as I was reminded of the previous days conversation. My mind loves to be dramatic. Even the feeling of boredom is created in my mind. It usually comes from a place of thinking how dissatisfied I am with the life I'm currently living. Maybe I am comparing myself to my peer life coaches who are out there creating programs for their clients while I'm focusing on my 1 on 1 coaching sessions.
I believe that boredom is a feeling that stems from a discontented heart and mind. So often on a weekend after hours of watching t.v. or reading a book all day I sit and tell myself that I'm bored. I want someone to entertain me. The reality is that I've spent all day doing things that just didn't bring about more joy, more excitement, more peace.
God has created me for a relationship with Him and there is something so very important about how I choose to spend my time. When I am discontent or bored it is not because I only have a floor, some walls and a couch, desk or bed. It's because I am thinking about what I don't have and that I must find something or someone outside of myself to find connection and peace again. But it is not true. You see, I too have a mountain of possibility inside of me. God has created me with an imagination, that if it is used in the right way, brings joy, contentment, and peace. A sense of well-being even while feeling boredom. Maybe I need to just imagine I'm riding on my unicorn named rainbow while I jump over rainbows and wish for the rain. Or I just take a moment to remind myself of all that I have, all that God has done for me and just be thankful.
A note about boredom. It's a feeling we just don't like feeling. But this is what I know, when I get busy doing something that I enjoy, reminding myself that there are other options, the feeling goes away. So I know that I can handle feelings like boredom or discontentment because I know where they come from....my thinking, and by deciding to think with a grateful heart, decide to sit down and just create, and that I can allow that negative feeling to pass and create something amazing instead, maybe just maybe I will smile and feel delighted in my own silliness when my brain offers that boredom is a major dilemma.
What story will you choose to create when you feel bored? Maybe you feel unmotivated? Uninspired? Stuck? Did you know that a life coach can help you create new results in your life? To discover what life coaching sessions can do for you, email me for a free consultation at shel@dammgirlcoaching.com
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