Amazing Things Will Happen: A Real-World Guide on Achieving Success and Happiness

Chapter 32

Can You Idle Well?

Life is fast paced. We all wish we could have more hours in a day to get everything done that we’d like to. Because of that, we are in a constant state of motion, moving from one thing to the next.

To be truly happy and fully enjoy life, you need to slow down—not just once in a while, but regularly.

I’m also not talking about only slowing down for an hour or less. I’m talking about completely shutting down and taking in the world around you by doing nothing.

I learned a key phrase during a weeklong excursion into the backcountry of the Boundary Waters Wilderness with my father. For a week it was just us, our canoe, and the wilderness.

One afternoon, as we sat there looking out into the vast beauty surrounding us after several days of not seeing another human being, my dad broke the silence with, “We sure do know how to idle well.”

As random as it was, it was perfect poetry for the situation. Ever since then, I’ve adopted this mantra. And I strive to do it every single day, even if only for a little bit.

When was the last time you took even 15 minutes to do absolutely nothing? No phone. No music. Nothing except you and your wandering thoughts.

Try it now. Wherever you are, put down the book, turn off all electronics, close a door if you can, and idle for 15 minutes. Don’t worry. Everything and everyone will be there when you are done.

It probably felt a little weird and strange, but the longer you sat there and embraced being idle didn’t it feel great? ...