Embrace boredom

It was Blaise Pascal who said, “all of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Even though this was written several years ago it rings with truth even more today. Let’s just get it out there, studying for most of us, if not all of us, is just down right boring. There are many things competing for our attention and most of them are housed in a single devise known as a cell phone. The fact is those who succeed academically have learnt how to resist the pull of distraction, what they have really done is embraced boredom. They know that if they make friends with boredom then there is no limit to what they can achieve. Embracing boredom already puts them in the top one percent because the other 99 can’t resist the pings from their phones.

Individuals who have learnt how to embrace boredom realize:

The importance of caring for their future-self

It was Muhammad Ali who said “I hated every minute of training, but I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” Now that was someone who knew what it means to be in touch with his future self. The truth is individuals who achieve academic success don’t necessarily like what it takes to be successful. Like you, they almost find studying painful. However they know that if they put in the work now at some point in the future they will be reaping the rewards of their sacrifice.

Almost everything that offers a short-term high is destructive.

Individuals who have made friends with boredom know that all the things that are fighting for their attention with the lure of an immediate high, are essentially destructive. They offer pleasure in the moment, but they pull them off the track set for goal attainment. These are individuals who have learnt from their mistakes and have promised themselves never to fall victim to short term pleasures again. They have learnt to resist temptation because they have seen the rewards of resisting and also the demise of succumbing. Those who have embraced boredom are more in tune with the dangers of distraction and therefore welcome boredom with open arms.

Stillness is the mother of invention

Anyone who has consistently taken the time to sit down and do work, knows the magic of inspiration that comes with this act. It is when seated quietly that the solution of a math problem comes to you, having worked on it for hours. It is in the stillness of study that our minds enter realms that we never knew existed. It is in the stillness that we hone our academic abilities and become true masters while others wander about doing what the masses do – forever distracted by things that society deem as important. It is only in the stillness that genius is made, it is there that the beginner becomes the expert.

It is unavoidable. To be successful academically, you have to make friends with boredom. This act alone will place you in the top one percent. You will be named among the few who know that being happy in the future is dependent on what you do today. For you boredom won’t have a negative connotation, but you will understand that embracing it is essential for academic success.