7 Ways to Do Nothing (yet finding your purpose in the process):
1. Travel. Take off and get as far out of town as possible. Without experiencing an entirely new way of doing things, you would surely still be listening to what everyone else says. Go alone or grab someone close and just explore. The more foreign the better. Get out for as long as you can. At least a few weeks but ideally a few months or even a year. You’d be surprised how much cheaper many places are around the world than your hometown and regular fixed cost-filled routine.
2. Check out a meditation retreat. Have you ever felt what it’s like to sit and do nothing for a few hours, a day, or a week or more on end? Now that life has finally slowed down, take some time to embrace it. Check out spots around your area or maybe find one out in a place like Dharamsala or Bhutan and tie it into your travels. For Malaysians, perhaps you can check out with Vipassana Meditation in Malaysia. If you want to get really into doing nothing, pick a silent retreat. It’s time to get in touch with parts of our minds and bodies that have long gone neglected.
3. Write. Buy a journal or open up a blank doc on your computer and begin to write what comes to mind. Make it a daily routine. Better yet do it on your meditation/travel adventure. You’re welcome to use a blog or forum if you’re used to it. Start in the morning when your mind is clear and take notes throughout the day as things come to mind. Maybe you’ll come back to what you wrote. Maybe you won’t. What matters is you start to reflect. The key is to constantly get your ideas out of your head. Only then will you be able to make real sense of them.
4. Do a cleanse or take on a physical challenge. Do something you haven’t done but have always wondered about. Maybe a Master Cleanse, a juice fast, eating vegan and raw for a few weeks or attempting your first urbanathlon or half or full marathon. Push yourself. See how you feel. Write down some thoughts as the experience unfolds.
5. Get inspired. Surround yourself with people you admire or go off all alone with your favorite music or motivating movies. Dust off Rocky I or Vision Quest if the underdog story is what fires you up. Listen to one of Tony Robbins’ CD programs such as Get The Edge or attend one of his seminars like Unleash the Power Within. Pick anything that’s been on your list or you know will get you inspired. Take note of where your mind takes you.
6. Dream. When was the last time you sat down and dreamed huge, without someone telling you were crazy? Go out in nature, maybe lie out on your back and stare at the clouds. Think of the craziest biggest (and smallest) dreams you’ve ever imagined.
What did you use to imagine before the world told you it wasn’t possible? Go back to your days as a five-year-old if you must. Write everything down. No filtering. Notice how it feels.
7. Learn about yourself. All these steps are designed to help you better understand who you are – to help you find the things you may have never realized you were looking for. Something that most people never make the time to do. That’s not going to be you. Learn with no expectation and no agenda. Only under those conditions is where one’s purpose can emerge.
“Great minds have purposes, others have wishes.”
- Washington Irving
(Source: http://liveyourlegend.net/what-to-do-when-you-get-fired-or-quit-purpose-finding-101/)
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