Special note to readers in the southern hemisphere: We DO know it's winter where you are. Please indulge us while we have our summer. Or better yet, take this prescription with you to a tropical vacation.

Growing up on a farm, summers were never leisurely. It was a very busy time of the year and doing nothing on a warm summer afternoon was not something I experienced very often.

It's not that we didn't goof off occasionally; it's just that with our work ethic and our pressing responsibilities, our guilt just wouldn't allow us to ENJOY goofing off.

And it still doesn't come easy for me to do nothing. Maybe that's why sailing works so well for me--I call it the art of doing nothing creatively.

But doing nothing IS important.

It seems that great ideas seldom find there way into very busy minds. We must have periods of 'moodling' in order for our brains to rest themselves of conscious thinking and open themselves to creative ideas.

So go for it. Do nothing actively. Set aside the time for lying in a hammock, reading or walking on the beach. Letting the wind blow through your brain offers new perspectives and fresh ideas.

You deserve it. It's a good thing to do. And it DOES get easier.

© Michael E. Angier
Life Channels Staff Writer
All Rights Reserved

Close Window To Return To Angier Article Archive