Boredom: A Path to Mindfulness and Innovation

Small Scale Life

In this 233 Episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, my good friend Adam Rick and I discuss Boredom and How it is a Path to Mindfulness and Innovation.

As we have gotten older and experienced more of our own Small Scale Lives, Adam and I realized that we are BUSY. We are running from thing to thing, event to event, obligation to obligation. When you are super busy, you don’t have time to let your mind wander and solve problems. You just don’t have capacity.

It is even worse when you are holding on for dear life in Survival Mode. Trust me, Julie and I have been there and done that for a large chunk of our married lives. It is really hard to sit still and dream when the money is running out and there are a lot of bills piling up. It is even worse when you lose a family member or dear friend. The muse does not speak, nor does the inspiration come. Boredom has a different name during these periods, and it is really, really hard to focus on anything else.

Show Topics

Adam and I will be discussing boredom in this episode. We talk about the benefits of boredom, and we discuss places and spaces where one can be bored. For Adam, it is in a tree stand in the fall. For me, it is 10,000 feet in the air in an airplane (Capricorns do love water, soil and sky – goats do climb, my friends). By the way, this photo was from a recent trip to Orange County, California. That is Mount Hood in the background. Yes, I had to go through Seattle to get to California. Talk about boredom!

Before we dive into the Boredom topic, we will discuss the results of the Halloween on Main Chili Contest in Dousman, WI. Who won? Who lost? What lessons were learned along the way?

OF COURSE, we’ll be THE BEST damn boring Livestream on YouTube you have ever seen.

Boredom, Creativity and Experimentation

Having REGULAR downtime to dream, think and create is just what the doctor ordered. The BEST ideas occur when you stop, let go, breathe and let your mind wader. It might not come immediately, but eventually your brain will work on that issue that you are struggling with and when you are hopelssly stuck…and develop a solution.

Think about it: what WAS Sir Isaac Newton doing while sitting under that apple tree?

I bet he was bored and daydreaming. Suddenly, an apple fell from the higher branch of the tree, and the apple dropped right on his head. Unique accidents while you are having downtime creates curiousity, experimentation and discovery. In Sir Issac Newton’s case, a simple event in 1665 or 1666 drove him to discover gravity.

Here are some facts about this particular discovery:

• The “apple event” probably occurred in 1665 or 1666. This was during the outbreak of the Bubonic Plague.
• Sir Issac Newton was probably taking a minute to be outside and be clear and free of germs, death and dying happening all around him. Approxinately 30% of the people infected with the Bubonic Plague died within two weeks! Boredom in this case was a welcome friend, and it certainly was a pathway to innovation!
• Sir Isaac Newton worked on the theory of gravity for 20 years. He was testing and confirming the theory of gravity during that time.
• Sir Issac Newton published the theory of gravity in his book “Principia Mathematica” in 1687.

As an engineer, we used Newton’s Second Law daily in our calculations. After all, a Force (F) is a product of mass (m) times acceleration (a): F = m*a.

Amazing what one little apple and boredom can create, isn’t it?

What is your apple? Are you bored enough to get hit in the head with that kind of inspiration?

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Show Sponsor

This live-stream is brought to you by A Modern Frontier Farms: Modern Frontier Farms Website

Get all your pasture-raised beef, pork and chicken from A Modern Frontier Farms! Grass Fed; Grass Raised; 100% Delicious!

When he isn’t at a Farmer’s Market or hanging out with his wonderful wife and beautiful kids, Adam can be found at the following locations:

• Modern Frontier Farms Instagram
• Modern Frontier Farms TikTok

Other Related Shows

Adam has been a guest on the Small Scale Life Podcast a number of times. Here is a quick list of shows where he has been the guest or cohost:

• Boredom: A Path to Mindfulness and Innovation – ANT Live 5
• Hustles and Hurdles: Side Hustles and the Gig Economy – ANT Live 4
• Mindset and Milestones: Prepping for a Life Upgrade – ANT Live 3
• The Importance of Getting Away – ANT Live 2
• Catching up with Adam Rick from Modern Frontier Farms – ANT Live 1
• Small Scale Life Episode 198 – Grass Fed Farm Business with Adam Rick
• Small Scale Life Episode 199 – Creating Heritage Meals and Deep Roots with Adam Rick

Listen to this Episode!

Listen to the Small Scale Life Podcast on any of the following apps:

• Fireside.fm
• iTunes
• Spotify
• Stitcher
• Google Play
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• iHeartRadio

To download and listen to this episode, click this text.

Special Thanks

For Small Scale Life Podcasts, I would like to thank Sean at Osi and the Jupiter for the intro song "Harvest." Sean wrote this specifically for us, and I really enjoy all of his work. You can find more Osi and the Jupiter at their Bandcamp site: https://osifolk.bandcamp.com/

I would also like to thank Austin Quinn at Vlog Vibes for the intro and outro music. For more information abut Austin and Vlog Vibes, please see the Vlog Vibes YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY80LeqtJf-YBzJy2TWKpDw

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