Why I love wasting time!

I hope this mail finds you well and safe.  In the month of August 2021, for 10 days, my country of birth and still my country of residence went through trauma.  On top of the tragic covid story, as a South African, I have another story to pile on top of an already heaving, ugly and messy situation.

A few weeks ago, as a town positioned in the middle of two areas that experienced a siege of looting and pillaging, my hometown of Ballito stood solid.  Unified by our need to protect our food source, our malls and our families, Ballito and the surrounding areas stood firm, armed with resiliency to ward off those that intended to hurt and maim our future.  The attempt did nothing more than unite our community and create an unbreakable bond, that will stand us in good stead for any further attempts to unravel our spirits and our town.  We grew tired but never wavered as warriors, both men and woman of all ages stood guard.  We patrolled, protected, communicated, cooked and fed those that needed sustenance to fight fires, petrol bombs and bullets.

This is not new for South Africa but the level of criminality was painful to watch, as videos went viral around the world, showing just how our country is hemorrhaging the very life force we need to rebuild our beautiful rainbow nation and create something we are even more proud of.

This morning I once again had the privilege of sharing some inspiration on our local TV station, Ballito TV, and as I reflected on how Mindfit Coaching Academy is making an impact,  I was reminded of one of the greatest heroes and role-models my country and perhaps the world, has ever known.  Our own Nelson Mandela, president to a fractured country, as he emerged from prison after 27 years incarcerated for political crimes, he began his work of healing the nation and did that splendidly.

Today of course, things have changed.  Without resurrecting anything from the past, I choose to focus on a future of positivity and well-being for all.  It’s one of the reasons I created Mindfit Coaching Academy.  I had a great desire to help people who want to help people and I wasn’t wrong in my intuition more than two years ago, that something was coming and I needed to be prepared for it.

Little did I know nor did anyone else know for that matter, what was about to transpire. I’m so grateful that I listened to the wisdom that was nudging me towards massive action in creating a wonderful platform for people to come together and help each other.  As much as action is needed to create anything of value, I would not have been able to get to this point, without understanding that action in a state of anxiety and stress is useless effort.

That’s why I choose to ‘waste’ time and do nothing, when I feel that I’m tired, angry, upset or just plain p#$%@ off.  It happens to all of us.  Trying to force anything to happen in that state of mind, means that your efforts will feel like a struggle. Even though you may still get things done in that state of upset, you could be doing those things in less time and with less stress, while having a lot more fun.

Doing nothing might mean talking a walk, resting or just aimlessly sitting.  Maybe listening to music or meditating but in a way that doesn’t use up any mental bandwidth so that your mind naturally settles, and you once again are able to think more clearly.

For some that may seem like a waste of time and they will attempt to white-knuckle their way and force themselves to do something they feel needs doing.  Personally, I’ve lost all tolerance for living or working in this way and since I have, I get more done in half the time with less effort and more ease.  Miraculously doing nothing when I feel overwhelmed, has created space for more creativity and ingenuity since I can now hear and see things with more clarity, opening me up to some pretty amazing things.

I’m convinced had I not known how my mind actually works, I might not have heard the call or felt the nudge to create something that today, has helped some people who will continue to help more people and that, in my opinion, is the one tried and tested way to change the world – one person at a time!  Mindfit Coaching Academy would not have happened had I tried to force anything.  It happened because I did nothing when I couldn’t – I wasted time.  It happened because while I was ‘wasting’ time doing nothing, I heard and saw everything I needed to do.

Taking action doesn’t have to feel stressful and not taking action doesn’t need to feel shameful.  Stress and shame are both completely useless emotions which do not serve you  since both are made up.  They’re not real.  It’s only thinking that creates the feelings and that’s what makes them seem real.  As the old saying goes, “when in doubt, do nothing.”

And in the great wisdom of Pooh Bear, one of my favourite quotes:

“Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something”

I hope you choose to waste a bit of time today doing nothing.  May it lead to the very best of the something you wish to do.

All my love

Sharon