When You Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything

Everywhere you look, you’re told to achieve.

And sure, you can get things done, but at what cost?

If you’re anything like me, you want to do work you love, but you also want to remain somewhat sane.

Life isn’t all about work. It’s not all about achieving. There are times when you feel like taking action.

And there are times when you don’t feel like doing anything.

When You Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything – The Video

Here’s a video I recorded in 2014 that is still relevant today.

The article continues below.

The Purpose of Doing Nothing

There’s an ebb and flow to life.

There’s a time for action, and a time for rest.

You can force progress, but look around you. The people pushing are the most exhausted.

Sure, they’ll tell you they feel great, but are they really? Their actions reveal their true inner state. Their scrambling to get somewhere is a sign of unhappiness.

Doing nothing is natural. But doing nothing doesn’t mean doing nothing.

Let me clarify…

The Power of Giving Up

This isn’t about lying in bed all day.

When I talk about doing nothing, what I truly mean is an inner state. A state of not pushing, not trying, and not forcing. It’s a state of allowing things to be as they are.

And what is that state if not the state of being in the present moment, living life right here, right now.

This is about giving up what was never in your control.

Achieving things was my life for 20+ years. It wasn’t working. So I tried something else.

But There Are Doubts

“What if nothing happens?”

“What if life passes me by?”

“What if my dreams slip by like invisible ghosts?”

Eventually it became obvious to me that if I am meant to do something, it will happen. I didn’t go from 0% to 100% trusting life. Instead, I conducted experiments.

It sounds methodical, but it wasn’t. It was like searching for a light switch in the dark, bumping into furniture and strange creatures.

A Concrete Example

Every now and then, I go into a space where I don’t feel like doing much.

In the past, I resisted this. I pushed myself to get things done. The result was exhaustion, misery, and depression.

Today, I’m more in tune with where my body and life wants to take me.

So why am I writing this post if I don’t feel like doing anything? You know, I don’t know, but here I am.

I work during these periods, but I work less.

I give myself more time to play, read books, watch movies, take walks, and rest.

What I mean when I say ‘do nothing’ is to do less work, and play more. And sometimes work is play, and vice versa.

I used to worry that my motivation would never return, but it always does. It all comes when I relax. The more I’ve surrendered and relaxed, the more I’ve realized that I never had as much control as I thought I did.

The Mistake of Pushing

As I look back, it’s obvious to me that pushing never got me anywhere.

I worked 12-hour days without achieving more.

I agonized. I worried. Yet none of that mattered. It was all going on in my head. I was on the hamster wheel of fear.

When I push, I face resistance. When I relax, life flows.

What gets in the way of you relaxing? Fear, doubt, and worry. If you are willing to face these feelings, you will discover extraordinary freedom.

So Remember to Rest

Everywhere I look I’m told to achieve, to do, to leave a legacy.

Many drown under this pressure, and they forget to listen to their inner GPS.

When you examine this pressure, you will find fear. You will want to distract. You will want to run away.

But turn toward it and everything opens up.

Stay relaxed,
Henri

P.S. To dive deeper into doing what you love, and to see through your mental blocks, check out my book: Do What You Love: Essays on Uncovering Your Path in Life (Amazon affiliate link that supports my work with no added cost to you.)