The Beauty of Boring

Let’s do boring. Today, I looked up the definition of boring and saw my picture. Old joke! The actual definition read:

not interesting; tedious

I’ve been using the word boring to describe the open space I intentionally created for my life. Please understand I am not bored. The definition of bored is:

Feeling weary because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in one's current activity.

That’s not me. I’m not bored. I am choosing to do boring. I like having my life filled with uninteresting, tedious tasks for the first time. 

A few years ago, I did work with a group of people who described themselves as a wartime company. Every day was a self-created battle and 90-day sprints lasting 365. The pace was fast and adrenaline ran high. There was never time for boring. 

The pace paid off. We all made a lot of money, although it cost us in other ways. The tedious tasks of life never got done. We were immersed in the drama of slaying dragons. 

It wasn’t the first time I worked with a big company with big goals and big drama. I enjoy the pride of accomplishment. The only difference between then and now is my ability to create open space for the boring beauty of life.

Now I work with people who value a consistent pace. It’s not fast, slow, or autopilot. It’s fascinating work rooted in a high level of trust for the talent on our team. We enjoy the pride of accomplishment without battles and drama. It’s wonderful, although it costs us in other ways. Our friends say we’re boring. And they’re right.

Misery loves company and we are rarely invited to the party. 

We have no dramatic stories with outraged punchlines. We have no complaints. 

We do have empathy and understanding to offer our friends, but that only lasts so long. Eventually, the conversation spotlight turns to us.

How’s it going for you?

Good.

We have little more to say other than it’s good. 

Last week, I took an unexpected trip to the emergency room. No one was in the waiting room. I had the full attention of the talented people who knew what they were doing. No drama. And, I’m good. 

This week was big news. My coworker bought a new toilet while shopping at Menards with their spouse. We’re all so boring, it’s comical. 

Truth be told, it was big news. They are a young couple who bought their first house years ago. In their previous jobs, they never had time to do boring. That crappy toilet annoyed them every day. They never had the time to replace it until boring showed up.

Boring creates space. 

Boring is stable, consistent and reliable. 

Boring gives us time to think, reflect and create.

Boring gives us room for new possibilities.

We see more, we feel more, and we can be more – when we do boring. We get done all we seek to accomplish. And our minds feel peace.

Let’s do boring together. Let’s create space to accomplish the tedious tasks that bring peace of mind. Let’s choose the beauty of boring.