In writing my monthly blogs, I usually get inspired by a theme or situation that catches my attention, where I feel can help others who are possibly going through something related. However, try as I may, I thought about sharing the broad definition of wellness, taking ownership of one’s health, renewal energy of a solar eclipse, but got no further than two small paragraphs. A Netflix marathon of a Korean drama seemed to be more appealing, and scrolling through Instagram reels also helped distract me. Finally, it was during my shower that the idea of laziness popped into my head.
I remembered Dr. John Demartini sharing in his Breakthrough Experience workshop I took several years ago, that no one is lazy. He asserted that the reason for this is based on each person having their own unique hierarchy of values (or priorities).
For example, if a person values financial abundance but does not value a clean house, they will not put much time or energy into tidying up their house on a regular basis, but they will look for opportunities to work extra hours or find ways to save money. Someone with the opposite values will opt out of working more, but will probably have a cleaning schedule and they will spend money on new organization systems for their home instead.
Each of these people may call the other person lazy, when neither is actually being lazy. They are simply following their hierarchy of values. So, in questioning myself about why it was taking me so long to write my blog for April I realized that I wasn’t lazy, but just not inspired. Dragging my feet, or rather my fingers in typing my blog, was what triggered the light bulb moment that got me to express the power of laziness.
It’s interesting how the current consensus in society, especially among the baby boomer generation, is to get a good education, find a job, work hard, be loyal, responsible, and save for the future. What I observed over the years is that the standards of baby boomers are extremely high, and they have a hard time understanding how the millennial generation needs to be inspired in order for them to work hard.
The thought is that millennials do not want to work hard and slave over any job. They look to see how they can enjoy their lives with purposeful work, doing something they believe in. I am of the X generation and feel that I am a blend of the baby boomers and the millennials. I feel that those from generation X work hard and don’t complain much, and are willing to deal with challenges in pursuit of what inspires us the most.
Up until I heard of Dr. Demartini’s concept of no one being lazy, I would judge myself harshly when I was not productive. Setting goals and going after them with laser focus was the bar that I would set, and when I found myself stagnant and unmotivated, self-judgment and criticism would follow.
My good friend, Alice Inoue, Founder of Happiness U, shared a concept with me when I wasn’t feeling productive – “I was inspired to do nothing”. As bizarre as that may sound, on some level it got me to stop beating myself up for “wasting my time” and not being productive. This statement helped me to reframe my judgment on being lazy and unmotivated, to being inspired to do nothing at that moment.
This is where the strategy of “reframing” helps you to shift your focus and discover a different perspective that brings acceptance to any action you take or don’t take. Your perspective is powerful, and dictates how you interpret a particular situation, and whether it impacts you in a positive or negative way.
Another benefit of laziness is taking a respite or break, that sometimes helps you to pause and step back to reassess what you are doing or not doing. When you get too focused on some project or goal, many times it will lead to tunnel vision. This tunnel vision may block you from seeing other potential possibilities and create blind spots that may create future conflicts if not addressed. Hence, sometimes not taking action may be the right thing to do, and recognizing the importance of timing.
A similar analogy is if you want a rose to bloom. Watering it everyday won’t cause it to open sooner, but instead, might cause it to become over watered and negatively affected.
Embrace those moments when you find yourself unmotivated and not wanting to do anything. Use this downtime to just “be.” By surrendering to not having to always get things done, you’ll store up potential energy to be ready to use when you are inspired to take action and do things. Remind yourself of the importance of timing, and that when everything aligns, you will have an inspired attitude to get things done. Trust yourself and what feels right, and let that guide you, instead of beating yourself up and self-criticizing.