It dwelled on me that sometimes people view boredom as a negative. They view it as a: waste of time, strong desire to do something, or a discomfort they want to be rid of. For me, viewing boredom as such often reduced to an inability to sit still and really listen to myself, to really be with myself. An inability to let my mind wander.

People need to schedule time to be bored.

Something profoundly beautiful is to be found in boredom and you existing with yourself. As you sit and accept the discomfort, your mind wanders. Ideas shine through and concepts connect. Your emotions are welcomed and, if you dare, you inquire into them. It’s refreshing to really own yourself and be with your thoughts and feelings. I feel a deep comfort in who I am. I own myself. In turn I am able to pass that comfort and space onto people around me.

Marina Abramović got it right. Her extreme performances would not be possible without boredom. “Sit and stare at a primary color for one hour” - such an outrageous thing to do. But is it really? Her techniques are often grounding, but I find that some of them are plain boring. That is precisely the point. Without her remarkable comfort of being in her own skin, I doubt she would be able to perform.

Stretching your comfort zone can be partially achieved through boredom. Growing comfortable with who you are as a person, the emotions that spring up in your body, and the thoughts and ideas you produce - that takes time, and boredom. Sitting in discomfort, stretching it, teaches us valuable lessons. Lessons about ourselves and others. Eventually, it becomes comfortable.

So sit down, stare at a wall for an hour, listen to yourself, and just be.