There are primarily three things we do with our time: work, learn, and play.
Draw a circle and put an upside down Y in the middle, to make what we used to call a peace sign. Write the words work in the top-left, play in the top-right, and learn in the bottom. Then focus until you realize this is how we spend the majority of our day.
Now insert two more slices. One for rest, because we need to rejuvenate our bodies, and one for nothing, the topic of this article.
Nothing is pleasure we attain without doing anything to cause it. Things like, daydreaming or standing in front of a fire. Hanging around the house or poking around in the yard. Rest isn’t pleasure and play is something active (like eating, golfing, or going to a movie) so neither of these are nothing. Nothing is feeling contentment without doing anything in particular to create it.
Laid-back people know all about this. They generally float around without enthusiastic plans and don’t require a lot of excitement to get satisfied. It’s the ambitious who need to be taught about nothing—keeners who are always tackling a to-do list.
To them I say, relax. It’s okay to waste time. You needn’t be afraid of falling behind or missing out. It’s good to sometimes take life at a slower pace. Plus, nothing helps you live longer so, in essence, it doesn’t cost you anything.
Take a year off from having goals. I’ve done it for two-and-a-half months and not only did I enjoy myself—I lost 15 pounds. Unplug your TV and shut off the radio. Get comfortable with silence. Talk to the plants, Zen with nature, and say thank-you to inanimate objects. (Is this scaring you?)
Ambitious people need to discover another dimension outside their regular world. One filled with unusual pleasure and self-acceptance. It’s called nothing. And you’re going to love it.