I am sure, just like me, you must’ve read and watched all the articles and videos about early morning routines and it’s benefits. I am sure, some of you are the early morning birds, that sing with ease with eyes closed, smile on a face and a fresh breeze kissing every ounce of your body. Robin Sharma wrote a Best-Selling Book on it, The 5 a.m. Club. I read it and got inspired but not motivated. I always procrastinated about ‘my early mornings’!
Two weeks ago, I hit a major writer’s block. I forced myself to write two poems and they were okay! Yet, I knew I could write better. But, I just didn’t want to. I regretted my non-writing hours of the day. I apparently didn’t even read any online things of my fellow writers. Just kept my distance from the writing exercise and the community itself. For a week, I wasted time. I watched the Netflix series, DARK & read my unfinished books, ordered some more & re-read the old ones.
A week later, I was enjoying it. I realised, I needed to waste sometime. I needed to take a break. Yet, I needed a routine. moreover, a morning one! Yet, I STILL DIDN’T WAKE UP EARLY. In fact, I used to sleep around 3 a.m. ! So, one fine day, I wrote this – The Power Of Wasting Time.
I literally thought that my writer’s block is over. Yet, I was still not motivated to be productive. So, wasted some more time, wrote in my journal, read more books, created some Content. But, I didn’t feel motivated enough.
Two days ago, I decided to go for a walk in the evening. May be discover new roads to walk on. When I did, I felt something that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. The peace was easier to feel. The road was empty. There were bushy trees on both sides and there were just me, the sound of my footsteps and the song of the breeze (somewhat similar to the image). I don’t think I have heard such quite surrounding, ever! I had just fallen in love with walks in the nature.
I walked and just gazed into the beautiful blue sky, the monsoon green trees, the washed up road with a garnish of fallen leaves.
It was a wake up call. One morning I woke up around 5:30 in the morning and just went off!!! My eyes weren’t even wide open yet and my hair were messed up. But I didn’t care (Also, with the mask on, nobody would recognise me). Anyway, I walked and just gazed into the beautiful blue sky, the monsoon green trees, the washed up road with a garnish of fallen leaves. It was surreal! I came back and I felt like I was a new person. The nature really heals, I thought. I opened my laptop, I went to this site aeon.co because I wanted to feed my brain with some breakfast. Coincidently, the first article I saw was ‘The Healing Power Of Nature’. It was relatable and informative but the satisfaction I felt was out of this world.
Finally, I came down to medium and read some amazing stories. I wrote down some ideas I had and then, started to write this. Apologies for dragging you along the memoir! But without going backwards, there’s no moving forward right?
A walk is the stillness we need in a speedy world.
The Significance Of A Walk
I am assuming you’re intrigued. I used to go for walks before, but why did it affect me on such a high note this time? Simply, because I Needed It. Sounds cliche but it’s true. The fact behind the phrase ‘timing is everything’, is that it is. A walk can change the way you look at life. It can heal your mind, body and soul. A walk can take away all the pain and give you all the cure you need.
A walk is an escape from the chaos of the world. A walk is the stillness we need in a speedy world. If we’re able to go for a walk, in between all this clutter in the world, there’s no one luckier than us. Because we can find a moment of peace and motionlessness in the natural state of motion of a human being, without having to think of the consequences but to experience it all.
The Power Of A Walk
I shared my story, yet there’s more to it. A walk is a personal choice & its power on us is personal as well. However, some effects are common.
A walk is liberating: Remember, when in childhood, we used to go out and play. How amazing it used to feel. We used to wait for our play time! Same goes in adulthood, but with walks… Our playtime is replaced with a walk, but gives us the same feeling, leaves the same after effect and makes us powerful in feeling free.
A walk is the awaited ‘Me-Time’: Adulthood is hard and what’s harder is to find that time in a day, where you get to be yourself, with yourself. You get to be alone with your thoughts and get inspired with them. A walk is that moment.
A walk is the easiest exercise: Also cycling. It’s the most effortless exercise for all aspects of us. Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. a walk is great for everything. The only effort you need to put in, is to just go for it.
A walk helps you with ‘live in the moment’: When on a walk, with music or not, try not to use your phone. Just walk and look around. You’ll realise that time can be slowed down and you can worry less, because you’re learning to living in the moment because of the walk.
I want to share more about how amazing a walk can be, but I think you get the point. Now, all you need to do is to go for a walk in nature and experience the magic on your own. Be safe and happy walking.
I could still hear the cheer. I could still feel the lights on my face. I could still smile at the possibility. I could still be a Rockstar! This was my another life. A life un-lived.
I still sing sometimes, but that passion is missing now. The soul lacks in transferring the sound waves through a listener’s heart. It could only reach to an ear or two. People could still praise me for the voice I have & the songs I sing. But they would never praise me for it touched their soul. Because I knew, it didn’t have the soul anymore. A soul for a soul, remember? If you don’t give a soul, you won’t connect to a soul either.
No matter how much you want it. No matter how much work you want to give into it, so that you can fill up the years you’ve lost without it, nothing will ever be enough. Nothing will ever fill up the void in your heart.
The emptiness I feel when I see someone perform on stage. That heart ache I feel every time someone tells me they’re a singer. That voice in my head that tells me, “I could’ve done it better”. It never goes away. It’s constant knock annoys me sometimes, but mostly, reminds me of what could’ve been!
Then, reality creeps in and all I’m left with, are tears and regret, sometimes guilt too. “What if, have I worked harder or stayed focused, or the passion wouldn’t have been lost?”
No, that doesn’t matter now.
I have a broken dream, that I can live, every time I close my eyes.
Disclaimer: I am not motivating you to waste your time and be sad about it later. I am telling you to take a break. Basically, I am telling you to waste your time in a more decent way, where you also learn things. I don’t know, keep reading .
Let’s get straight to the point. Who doesn’t like to just lie down, watch movies, read books and eat, sleep, repeat? Yet, our brain is trained to be productive. Our brain is active even when we’re asleep! Talk about being a workaholic! But we must not compete with the brain but with the zeal of it. Being a creative person is exhausting as it is. On top of that is being humongously productive! How can we cope with both, all the time! We need a break. A break to break the cycle of stress and brain-drainage.
You can break the glass ceiling, only when you’ve broken stress!
I have been trying to punish myself by worrying about not being able to create anything. Not with words, music or my podcast. Nothing. You can say, I am lacking inspiration or I am not motivated enough, procrastinating more ecetera ecetera. Yet, I am not going to let you tell me that. Nor should you tell this to yourself. You’re having none of those. You just need a break.
With break, I don’t mean a vacation and ditching social media. Firstly, vacation is impossible, for who knows how long and secondly, I don’t believe in a social media detox. Because in my opinion, it’s quite stupid. Not being aware of what’s going on in the world, especially in 2020, is your lacking as a human being. So, social media is a great way to learn things. But if you still need a detox, may be you aren’t using it the right way.
With break, I mean – Mental Break. A break where you worry less, think less and don’t force yourself either. Basically, waste time but with dignity.
How do we waste time with dignity?
Wasting time often includes- Daydreaming, sleeping more than required, watching movies, scrolling down to social media most of the day, eating more because you’re bored and doing nothing. But wait, are you really wasting your time?
Daydreaming? It’s a part of creative process, so you’re actually working.
Sleeping more? You haven’t slept like that in a long time, you deserve longer naps.
Watching movies & everything else? You’re forming new perspectives, learning about new topics and so, you’re collecting content.
Social Media Scrolls? You’re staying updated. Period.
Eating More? That’s a human need.
Doing Nothing? Your brain is recharging for more work , whenever you’re ready.
Now, with adding some more things, your wasting time becomes a power.
Reading- See, I know what you’re going to say! Reading is boring, it’s hard, I can’t concentrate blah blah blah!! Those are just excuses my friend. If you REALLY want to read, you’ll stop making excuses and start reading.
I read somewhere,
“If you don’t like reading, you just haven’t found the right book.”
Start finding the right book and read, sleep, eat, repeat.
Spending time with your heart- Meaning, do what makes you happy. Like for me, I read, sing, learn to play an instrument and spend time with friends and family (virtually). This makes me happy and the pressure of writing and creating becomes little. So, do what makes your heart sing.
Talk to more people- I have been talking to many new people on different social media platforms. Like the people, who I knew, but never got the chance to really know them. You know what it did? It made me more compassionate, empathetic and literally happy.
Because we’re all struggling with one thing or the other, it’s better to do it together. Right?
What happens when we waste time like that?
WE LIVE.
“That’s the POWER of wasting time. It just helps us realise what’s important and that even with all the toxicity in the world, there is so much more to life & we just need to live it right to feel it.”
