The GoalTribe Blog

Standing in line bored out of your mind is a huge waste of your precious time on Earth. It’s one of the least efficient features of modern life, one that I think we’ll eventually do away with. But it’s only a waste if you stand their bored. In reality, it’s a precious gift of time during which you can do something profound… something deep and meaningful… something that can even blow your mind. Here are 6 ways to make your time standing in line into something profound:

6 Ways to Blow your Mind when you’re Stuck in Line

1. Become Joyful: Research in the new field of positive psychology has clearly established that your happiness has very little to do with the conditions of your life. Right now, somewhere there is someone in worse health with less money than you, standing in a long line under a blistering sun – and they’re happier than you are! They’re joyful simply because they have better mental habits than you. Standing in line is a perfect opportunity to practice being happy for no reason at all. Spend the time counting your blessings. What’s great about your life? What are you looking forward too? What are some of your best memories? Who do you love? What are you proud of? How do those thoughts make you feel?

2. Expand Your Mind: One of the profound things about being human is our capacity to keep learning. And there are oceans of mind-blowing things to study about this great, big, beautiful universe we live in. I frequently keep a small book in the car that I can slip in my back pocket to pull out if I’m stuck standing somewhere with nothing to do. Read up on the subjects that fascinate you. Read mind-expanding books on science, philosophy or spirituality. Read personal development books. Read the classics. Read executive summaries of books. (More ideas at 5 Ways to Learn on the Go)

3. Meditate: There are many ways to meditate. One way that can be done in line is: Take a deep breath. Relax your body (stand or sit or whatever). Keep your eyes open. Now just breathe in a relaxed, easy way and notice the things happening around you. For every thing you notice, just say “I smell someone’s perfume. I see someone’s red dress. I feel my shoes…” Just notice. Don’t judge. Don’t think. Don’t process. If you notice active thoughts, just gently go back to the exercise. How does that feel? Don’t worry, if you need to become active, you can snap out of it instantly. (Although with renewed sense of peacefulness.)

4. Breath in Serenity: Standing in line is a good time to do breathing exercises. Breathing purifies, energizes and leads to a nice, serene state of mind. Just do this 10 times: breath all the way out, squeezing your belly to make sure your lungs are really empty. Then take a long deep breath in. Puff out our belly, then your chest. When you think you’re full, sniff in through your nose once or twice. Hold for a few moments (as comfortable), then slowly exhale. Only do as many repetitions as is comfortable. You’ll probably need to build up to ten. Then enjoy the serenity that follows. Notice how your body feels.

5. Become One: Now we’re getting into some really mind-blowing concepts. Standing in line is an opportunity to do exercises to build your feelings of oneness with all things. Consider one of the people standing in line with you. This person is a manifestation of the same profound forces that crafted the starry sky; the same forces that make people look into each other’s eyes and fall in love; the same forces that blanket the springtime in flowers, greenery and birdsong. This person’s consciousness is one of the most profound mysteries of the universe. How could you show this person some kindness? Compliment them. Ask them about their life. Listen deeply, with respect. Each person has something to teach you. Each person is an opportunity to connect more deeply with life.

6. Transcend: “To the illumined mind the whole world burns and sparkles with light.” – Emerson. There are many paths to the enlightened state of being, where you experience the profound nature of all reality and extraordinary bliss and lightness at all times. The more mundane the situation, the better it is for practicing this realization and the feelings that accompany it. Stand in line and think about the trillions of atoms all around you spinning and vibrating, doing their part to create this absolutely unique, once-in-an-eternity moment for you to experience. Most of these atoms were forged in the extraordinary conditions of a star, they are stardust. You are stardust. Imagine everything sparkling and shining. Everything is perfect in this moment.

So vow right now to never waste time in line again. Pick one or more of the practices above to transform your “waiting time” into “awakening time”. What steps could you take to be prepared for that?

You could also set a goal on GoalTribe to commit to not wasting another minute in line for the next 30 days to see how it impacts your life.

Do you have some other suggestions for making waiting time productive? Please share in the comments.

For more productivity strategies see: “Stop Wasting Time” on The Simple Dollar blog.

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Thank you for reading!
Robin

What more juice, joy and happiness in your life? Then focus on gratitude. Research by Dr. Martin Seligman, one of the founders of Positive Psychology, has found that simple exercises that boost your gratitude also greatly increase your happiness, optimism, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy. And the boost can last for weeks. That’s some pay off! Here are his 2 techniques, plus 1 bonus method:

1. Keep a Gratitude Journal

Simply take a few minutes at least 4 times a week to jot down a couple of things you’re grateful for that day. That’s it! In studies, people who kept it up for at least a few weeks saw meaningful improvements in their gratitude and happiness. You might keep a notebook by your bed and journal each morning or evening.

2. Write a Gratitude Letter

Think of someone in your life who has helped you in some way. It could be a family member, teacher, coworker, friend, mentor, neighbor or someone else. Write a letter them expressing in concrete terms what your are grateful for about. When you’re ready, deliver the letter - in person if possible. This method not only improves your happiness, but also the happiness of the recipient. To see a really nice blog post on this subject that will realy inspire you (it inspired me to write this post!), see Turning Gratitude Inside Out on The Change Blog.

3. Take a Gratitude Walk

Take a walk outside and just start listing off all the things you see that you’re grateful for: the sunshine, the birds, smiling people, city services, airplanes that can carry you through the sky, shoes, the food that’s powering your journey, your eyes that let you see everything. In your mind say “I’m SOO GRATEFUL for ….” Be really enthusiastic. Say it outload if you can. Thank people directly if you’ve got the guts “I’m SO grateful for your beautiful flower bed Mrs. Beasley!” Walk tall, breath deep and wear as big a smile as you dare. Do that and you’ll be exercising at least half a dozen different powerful techniques for boosting your joy for the whole day, much less your gratitude.

The trick to go from showering joy on your week to showering joy on your whole life is doing one or more of these practices consistently until it becomes a lifelong habit of happiness and gratitude. And of course, you guessed it, the best way to do that is to set a GoalTribe goal to write in your journal, or send a gratitude letter a certain number of times a week so you get the reminders, you get the social support and you get the joy of being celebrated by your allies as you make progress!