Investing in Nothing for Yourself

What have you done for yourself lately? Do you ever make note of those things that you do just for yourself?  It may seem selfish or narcissistic to be focused on doing for yourself but in the end it pays off for everyone. Figuring out what you need and investing in it serves you and those around you.

Most of us are busy all the time. Our calendars are filled with work and family, immediate and extended, responsibilities. If we are lucky, and can figure out how to do it, we squeeze some social time into our busy days.  We are aware that we need to invest in ourselves when it comes to education and professional development, although that is equally difficult to do, but it is a commonly accepted notion and practice.  I think it is rare to find time that is dedicated just to you, particularly time to do nothing, whatever nothing is for you.

I am a strong proponent of finding time to do nothing because I think it is critical to your success at doing anything. Time to do nothing is not only refreshing or rebooting (in this age of electronics) but it offers the chance for quiet moments of reflection. With time off from your daily routine you can observe rather than orchestrate. Doing nothing reminds us of what we like to do, what we may want to do, and even who we are.

When we are doing all the time our focus is on moving forward, getting one more thing checked off our list, and thinking about what we have to do next. It is a bit like being in the fast lane of the expressway – the focus is on safe driving and keeping up with the flow of traffic. But we may miss our exit because it is impossible to change lanes at that speed. Occasionally moving to that slow lane or even getting off the expressway completely lets us see a totally different landscape and we can always get back on at another entrance.

Do nothing for yourself. You will come back to the doing something with a different perspective having had time off.  It is good for you and those around you. You may be teaching someone else how to take good care of themselves just by doing nothing yourself!