Ever wondered how successful people are actually successful? How do they do it? Does it come naturally to them? Are they fortunate for the right opportunity? Is it hard work? Or is it mere luck?
Whatever might be the reason for their taste of success, their ability to sustain it, is only because they are never idle. From the innumerable success stories, if there is one takeaway that is common, it has to be their ability to never quit and never remain idle. A successful sportsman does not stop practicing his/her sport after a win. A writer or an artist does not put an end to their creative ability once they attain their big break. A successful entrepreneur does not stop digging for new ideas all over again. Is it easy? Of course not! It requires lot of effort, discipline. This is what separates successful people from the ordinary.
While most of us take the privilege of labeling success to mere luck/ opportunity/ intelligence, we fail to realize the amount of work that goes in to accomplish and maintain success. Each one of us are gifted in some or the other way. Most of us strive through our initial days of youth for a living. Once we develop a sense of settlement, we tend to go easy on our lives. We feel the need for being idle for a while, the need for break. Well, taking a break from your busy routine or a vacation is no sin. The break here is the long term interruption. Taking a break from your job or daily routine is no big deal but utilizing that break to keep your mind engaged is necessary.
Take time to garden, pursue your interests, learn some form of art that you’ve been struggling to learn for years, focus on your fitness regime. Do anything and everything, but don’t stay idle. Idleness can be more dreadful than it appears to be. It leads our intellectual minds to open the gates of depression. We may encounter unnecessary thoughts of hopelessness, dissatisfaction and unwanted comparisons. A feeling of emptiness is all that the mind needs to lower one’s self- esteem. A break should be an opportunity to improve one’s intellect and not degrade it.
Nothing in life comes easy. Everything requires nurturing. The mind is no different. Even the smartest and the most intelligent minds, fail to keep up their intellect when they are bitten by the idle bug. With idleness, we tend to lose our ability to be good at something that we were once adept at. Keeping the mind engaged is also one of the best ways to cope up depression. It is a great way to stay distracted from an otherwise jaded and wretched mind.
Keep the mind engaged, because an idle mind is a devil’s workshop!
I think I should feel bad. This hits hard. I’m getting ready to graduate from college with highest honors. I’ve worked hard all my life…and here I am, telling myself that if I promise myself to read all 80 pages of this novel tomorrow, I can stay up another few hours playing video games or watching Netflix. I’ve become a little too idle. Great piece! Very thought provoking.
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Thank you so much! As long as you are doing something productive or not feeling lost, it should be good. ๐ I hope you get back on track soon! ๐
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Lost is my middle name. I tend to wander on and off the tracks, but I always get to my destination!
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The ability to get back on track and to get to your destination is what you just need. Since you have it, nothing to worry! ๐
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great post . check out hoe I am getting on @Daisy from
Daisyinthe willows
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Thank you for reading! ๐
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Ok…this one has resonance and a good amount of anti-prevarication logic. Anyone tinged with depression will hook onto the nutured mind part. Idleness creeps in and before you know it days grow the same, time flows and the train pulls away leaving one on the platform as life speeds off.
Good post this one, very good and cause for reflection. Puts real pressure on the rest of the alphabet now though ๐
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Thank you so much! Idleness is addictive and time passes by in a jiffy. You put everything so nicely! ๐
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You are quite welcome ๐ I must apologise for a habit I’ve picked up. And that is to ramble in posts. I started doing it ages ago as a means to practice writing. Every piece of text being part of that process. Replies, comments, emails. I can’t stop now and end up waffling on inserting imagination, metaphors and similes as if each one is part of a potential story. Even though the replies are serious I think that process embellishes them in verbosity. Of course it could just be me too ๐ค
Next habit has to be proofing before posting, not just now and then but all the time !!!
Does that makes sense?
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What you do, does not need to be apologized! It requires great talent to talk in metaphors, or develop a story from a comment which usually goes unnoticed. Yeah, proofing before posting is a must they say. As long as whatever you do helps you with your writing, it’s all valid! ๐
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Oh methinks it does…it eats your day replying to nonsense when you’ve got challenges to write ๐ But yes, proofing…that leads to drediting and drediting leads to the dark side of the force ๐ค
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Haha that was funny!! Actually for this challenge, we were asked to turn off proofing.
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Really?? Turn of proofing…can you do that to a mind that’s err umm been a proof reader come copy editor in a past life?? Oh, hang about obviously…past life….posts and comments I don’t do it all the time…and..soap box…it’s why Inhate drediting…dismantling each sentence in an 89,000 word novel is about as much fun as trying a Bertie Botts every flavour bean and discovering it’s earwax ๐ค
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Hahaha, I had the ear wax one once! OMG! I wish I never come across that again ๐ 89,000 words!! Wow!! Editing IS the most important!!!! ๐
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I’ve rather gone off sweets since ๐ป
Told you I’d written a book(s)…this year was about not sitting on them and trying to get them out. Even if it’s just so I can say ‘I made that’๐ฑ Still hate editing though ๐
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Keep going! I’m pretty sure you are doing it good! ๐
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My aim is to finish 4th draft by Friday. One of my readers came back to me yesterday and gave it a thumbs up…that’s scary ๐
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Why is that scary? That is supposed to be motivating! Keep up the good work!! ๐๐ผ
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I have to decide on what to do next. One thing having a manuscript only I can see but putting it out for anybody to see is terribly scary ๐
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I can imagine, hehe. Just assume that your manuscript is a WordPress post and just let it out without too much apprehension. Otherwise, it only piles up to fear, which we don’t want. ๐
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Blast you…that is too logical and impossible to counter with a good prevaricate and panic attack. I must henceforth consider the options this very day as I completed the draft yesterday…two day early….this is all going very wrong…the schedule said Friday not Wednesday!! But yes….thank you for that…it’s an excellent point ๐
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Passion, Persistence, Purpose – These are the three “P’s” I commonly talk about in achieving better health. They apply, however, to all aspects of life.
Great MEANINGFUL article.
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Amazing! The three P’s definitely apply to all walks of life! Thank you very much for reading and taking time to drop your thoughts! Means a lot! ๐
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