30 + 1 Things To Do When You Are Bored

This post was co-authored with my niece, a teenager who is always bored.

Here is a list of 30 things to do when you are bored:

1. Surf the web: search for things you like, articles that spark your interest, or just read posts like this.
2. Organize your closet.
3. Tidy up your room; or your office; or your entire home.
4. Do your laundry.
5. Cook your favorite meal, or try a new recipe. In the case of my niece, it’s always souvlaki.
6. Build something. Make something creative with your hands.
7. Fix things around the house.
8. Call a friend. Go for a walk to the park, play, or plan any activity together.
9. Learn something new. A new hobby, a new skill, a new language, or even new words from the dictionary.
10. Clean up your computer.
11. Organize your photos. Create digital or printed albums.
12. Exercise. Ride your bicycle, go up and down the stairs, go jogging.
13. Practice something you already know; like playing the guitar.
14. Read a book.
15. Write a book.
16. Make a bucket list.
17. Put your favorite music on and dance.
18. Bathe your dog, clean your aquarium, or play with your cat. Take care of your pets. 
19. Take care of your plants.
20. Volunteer to help someone for the day.
21. Write and send a thank you note to someone who did something nice for you.
22. Camp out in the garden, backyard, or inside the house if there is no other option.
23. Watch a movie, preferably at an open-air cinema.
24. Take a nap.
25. Pick up any volume of the Junior Chuckwoods Guidebook. Have fun reading it and why not, try any of the ideas you will find in it.
26. Make a playlist of your favorite songs.
27. Organize a board game championship with your family.
28. Offer to babysit a toddler. You will not have time to get bored.
29. Make some bubbles. 
30. Do something awesome.
31. Write a blog post about things to do when you are bored.

Exhausting Possibilities

When faced with situations the first impulse is to deal with them with what we know best. What we have done successfully in the past, what we feel comfortable doing, what we know doing. We see things from a specific perspective and the possibilities that we become aware of are a result of this perspective.

So, when we think we have exhausted all possibilities, we must remember this: we have exhausted all possibilities that are within our awareness. 

There are still unexplored possibilities and options.

And if indeed there is absolutely nothing that can be done, then maybe it’s time to consider if the situation is actually one that we can control. Then, another possibility appears: to accept what is, for we have no control over it. We can only adapt, adjust, or leave.

When you (think) you have exhausted all possibilities, remember: there is one more answer that hasn’t been thought of yet. 

Happiness and the Absence of Dichotomy

“Never permit a dichotomy to rule your life, a dichotomy in which you hate what you do so you can have pleasure in your spare time. Look for a situation in which your work will give you as much happiness as your spare time.” (Pablo Picasso)

I finished my work this evening with a huge smile on my face. I thought it was because of something new that I had created, plus the wonderful feedback from a student earlier today. Then I ran into this phrase and I realized the source of my daily smile.

I am not going to write that I am lucky, because it is not luck that has brought me here, to the absence of dichotomy in my life. It is perseverance, resilience, persistence and the determination not to compromise when it comes to my happiness.

According to Henri Matisse “creativity takes courage”. Leading our life is a creative process and if we want to experience happiness and fulfillment in it, the only thing we need is the commitment to be courageous. 

photo credit: http://stephanielevy.blogspot.gr/p/e-courses.html

Make Your Mark and See Where It Takes You

To anyone whose fear has shut down a long-held dream. To anyone who is so focused on what they cannot do that they forget what they can do. To anyone who hesitates to start:

Just make a mark and see where it takes you.

This is the message of The Dot, Peter H. Reynolds' book about a girl who thinks she cannot draw.

Below is a video of a Spanish amination of the book.

You can watch an English version here.

“Donde hay un punto, hay un camino.”

(Where there is a mark, there is a path.)

The Dot

Big Lessons

My little niece is doing her homework. She has to calculate how many bananas 7 little monkeys will eat if they eat 3 bananas each. There is the easy and fast way to do this: 7 monkeys x 3 bananas and there you go. That’s not my niece’s way though. To my surprise, she starts painting the seven little monkeys and below each one their three bananas. My surprise then becomes bigger when I see that she is actually very good at painting them.

Yes, there is the easy and fast way to solve a problem and get the job done. And then, there is the fun way. What if it takes longer? The result will eventually be the same yet reached in a much more creative way J

Big lesson from a little person.