In pursuit of something more than nothing.
My Dad offered me this piece of advice the other day, "doing 'almost nothing' is much better than doing nothing. Because if you did nothing, you'd die."
Weeks ago, my sister received a COVID-19 test.
She got the test because a co-worker's parents, sadly, tested positive for the virus. Upon this discovery, my sister's world changed. She would be isolated in the basement for 72 hours while her test results were being processed. She received cooked food on the regular, thanks to her big bro. She laid on the pull out bed. Caught up on work. And, mostly, did nothing.
Did this drive my sister nuts?
Are you kidding me? If sitting around all day could be a business, my sister would be the world's leader! She loves to do nothing!
This is not an indictment on my sister.
In fact, I admire her for her ability to completely detach and veg out.
I told my Dad this story, "Dad, I'd like to be more like Maria, and get better at doing nothing from time to time."
My Dad’s response:
“Mowing the lawn is a mindless activity that's ‘almost nothing’. Getting bored to get ideas is ‘almost nothing’. Taking a walk is ‘almost nothing’. Doing 'almost nothing' is much better than doing nothing. Because if you did nothing, you'd die." - John Brady 7/22/2020
Why does this matter?
Because "almost nothing" is the groundwork upon which new ideas are born.
It's a mindful activity that allows you to clear your mind and be present.
To do what my sister does so well, detach and ready your intention for what's next.
We don't want to be like Icarus and fly too close to the sun.
Instead, just close enough where we can feel the warmth.
The pursuit of "almost nothing" is the same.
There’s an argument for intentionally getting bored (read: “almost nothing”).
It rides the edge between meaningless and profound.
My Dad is sometimes (he might argue: often) profound.
You can read other nuggets of John Brady wisdom here: