Summary:
While running on the beach, the author realized that a persistent thought of "I can't do this" stemmed not from physical exhaustion but from boredom. By shifting focus to the enjoyment of the activity, such as the sensation of running and imagining a cheering crowd, they found renewed energy and motivation. This insight highlighted the importance of addressing boredom by making activities more engaging, which can prevent burnout and enhance enjoyment in the present moment.
"I can't do this!" —— that's what my mind was telling me.
I was running on the beach when that thought popped up in my head.
It was pitch perfect weather. Morning. A vail of a cloud slightly blocking the full radiation of the sun.
However, if meditation has taught me one thing, is help me catch my thoughts and observe them from the outside.
This particular thought was odd, because I wasn't tired, my breathing was perfect, the sun wasn't hitting me directly on any part of my body. In other words I was doing incredibly well.
And luckily I immediately realized what what happening: I was bored!
Realizing that, mobilized me to find ways to make it more fun and enjoyable by focusing on how I am running, how I am placing each step on the sand, trying to errect my body even taller which helped with getting re–energized, because the brain is super dumb and believes anything its master tells it (you!).
Also, fooling myself into thinking I'm running for a crowd that's cheering for me made all the difference.
After a while, I did get tired and started to slow down, but realized something bigger in the process that I wanted to actually tell my son later on.
When we feel we can't do something (school, business, excercise), the first thing to check is if we're simply bored with the activity on hand. And not immediately think that we're not capable or tired.
If boredom is indeed the culprit, the first thing we can do is to try and make it fun and helpful.
Asking —— "what do I love most about myself when doing this activity?" —— can help tremendously in re–centering our intent.
The worst part about boredom is that it can lead to mini dissapointments that can turn into a full blown burnout.
Going forwad I want to have more fun by focusing on the little things in the activity I'm doing and actually enjoy myself while dancing around it. In other words, not worry so much about goals and their deceptive nature, as I have already observed, but rather focus on this exact moment, as my fingers finalize this very last paragraph in this article.
