51. Boredom Is A Signal

To be completely bored is a dreadful feeling. You desperately want something new and interesting but there is no such thing available. The world itself begins to feel devoid of value since there is no longer any part of it that draws you in and captures your attention.

In the absence of anything new, you are left entirely alone with yourself and your feelings. You want to escape this state. You will do anything to find something that will pull you out of the hole you’re in and help you feel excited again.

As you experience more and more of the world, you naturally get used to it. Rather than being an aberration, boredom is an expected outcome of life. New things might come along, but they will tend to be variations on what you’ve already seen. That the world still contains countless unnoticed and unseen details does not change this, because boredom is a subjective experience. It happens when you feel you’ve seen it all, regardless of whether or not you actually have.

Paying greater attention to the world might alleviate your boredom or it might not. Perhaps you simply aren’t excited by what the world has to offer right now. But there is also more for you to experience than just the world. There is also yourself, and in particular, your own imagination, which can take you far beyond anything that already exists.

Boredom is a signal for you to spend more time with your imagination. It is a sign that you need to allow yourself to envision a new world. This other world might not arrive immediately, but by repeatedly allowing yourself to imagine bolder and more complex ideas, your ability to see it will develop and grow.

As your imagination grows, you will become excited by the things you imagine, and you will feel an urge to bring them into reality. You will discover within yourself a hidden need to express the new world inside you through creative action. Far from desperately desiring what is new and interesting, you will now become its provider.