Wednesday 1 February 2012

Want to do Great Things? Be Under-Employed

My yoga teacher was always telling me to slow down: “What’s the rush? Put your suitcases down and let the train carry you along”.  I was always the one late to the class, worrying about something and fidgeting to leave before the end.  “We are human beings”, he would calmly point out, “not human doings”.

“Just being” was, and still is, very hard for me.  While I could hardly sit still for a moment, he seemed to spend his days taking long walks in the woods, practicing yoga and volunteering at the local hospice.  His serenity and calmness was a world away from my life of busy activity.

But rush doesn’t accomplish much.  Running around trying to get lots done, without time to think or rest, leads to burn out and confusion.  James Watson, who together with Francis Crick discovered DNA, said “It’s necessary to be slightly under-employed if you are to do something significant”.  I’ve always found that a rather shocking and controversial idea when I try to make good use of every moment.  Their breakthrough was one of the most significant scientific discoveries of the last Century, and laid the foundation stones for molecular biology.

Beethoven also understood the need to let his mind relax and come back refreshed.  He worked only from sunrise until two or three o’clock in the afternoon.  His mornings also included a number of breaks outdoors, where he “worked while walking.”  He never worked in the evenings.

Beethoven struggled with his compositions, working and reworking themes over and over again, yet he created some of the most beautiful music ever composed. 

Whilst it is counter-intuitive, it seems that making time to do nothing pays off; even if your ambitions are less lofty than discovering DNA or writing a symphony.

22 comments:

  1. We were in Turkey last October with the family and I was cooking dinner one evening. I went to the local Turkish supermarket to get ingredients. I couldn't see mushrooms anywhere so I asked the guy who was vaguely supervising the outdoor fruit and veg section 'mushrooms?. There was a long pause before he replied 'tomorrow.'

    In out=r family this has become a motto. If someone gets a bit hyper s/he is taken to one side and told 'mushrooms - tomorrow.'

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great post Caroline ... we can so often get caught up in the busyness of life rushing from today into tomorrow ... I know I do it too!

    I love Michael's mantra and may borrow it for the forthcoming week - 'mushrooms tomorrow' :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nyallpurposepaving.com offers Paving Contractor, Parking Lot Repairs, sealing, striping, Oil and Stone Driveways at Riverhead NY, Quogue NY, Hamptons NY, Southampton NY, Sag Harbor NY, Green point NY, Wading River NY, East Moriches NY, Center Moriches NY, Mannorville NY, Miller Place NY , Mt. Sinai NY,Greenport NY

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bedbugprocpc.com offers Bed Bug Exterminator, Bed Bug Inspections, Bed Bug Elimination, Bed Bug Inspection for Hotels and Residential and Commercial Bed Bug at Palo Alto CA, San Mateo CA, San Jose CA, Belmont CA, San francisco CA, Redwood City CA, Sunnyvale CA

    ReplyDelete
  5. Complete pest control specializing in Rodents & Rodent Proofing, has 40 years of experience in dealing with nuisance pests such as skunks, possums and raccoons. Our business is based on honesty, integrity and reliability, so you can count on us to solve all your wildlife problems. 650-839-9999, 408-246-0492, 415-818-6301

    ReplyDelete
  6. Atopcommercialpaving.com offers Commercial Paving, Asphalt Contractor, and Parking Lot Resurfacing at Queens NY, Nassau County, Bayside NY, Jamaica NY, Middle Village NY, Ozone Park NY, Howard Beach NY, Little Neck NY

    ReplyDelete
  7. Davispestmanagement.com offers Pest Control, Exterminator, Bed Bug Removal, Inspections, Rodent, Pest Elimination, Commercial, Residential, Professional, Licensed Exterminator , Scorpion, Bee Hive, Hornet, Fire Ant Removal by Service Area, Las Vegas NV

    ReplyDelete
  8. Viceroy Investigations and Consulting LLC is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of the Massapequa's offer security consulting, assessments and training to large and small businesses. Let us help you design and implement policies that aid in Safe hiring, Work Place security and Information Security. Call us: 516-694-0093

    ReplyDelete
  9. These are some great point, never knew this was a thing. Do check the link below:
    Custom Logo Design

    ReplyDelete
  10. Jettonsgrading.com offers Grading, Excavation and Paving Contractor, Land Clearing Services, Septic Systems, Retaining Walls and Driveways, Drainage Systems, Construction Site Clean-Up, Demolition Contractor at Walhalla SC, Seneca SC

    ReplyDelete
  11. Diskdatadestruction.net offers Mobile paper shredding, Mobile hard drive destruction at Hauppauge NY, Suffolk County NY, Long Island NY, Ronkonkoma NY, Melville NY, Huntington NY, Garden City NY, Farmingdale NY, Westbury NY, Bohemia NY, Stony Brook NY, Nassau County NY

    ReplyDelete
  12. reliablecommercialpaving.com offers Parking lot paving, walk way construction, Commercial paving, asphalt, Parking Lot Repairs, Parking Lot Striping, Commercial Blacktop, Parking Lot Repairs, Commercial Paving Contractor, Commercial Asphalt Contractor at New Jersey at Hanover NJ, East Orange NJ, Newark NJ, Morristown NJ, Summit NJ , Union NJ, Hackensack NJ, Patterson NJ

    ReplyDelete
  13. Landscape , Outdoor, Landscape Lighting Installation, Lawn Sprinkler Design, Repairs, Installation, Lawn Irrigation Service, Sprinkler System Backflow Testing at Long Island, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Dix Hills NY, Huntington NY, Syosset NY, Smithtown NY and Happauge NY

    ReplyDelete
  14. johnnyontheshop.com offers Supermarket, Food , Costco ,Home depot , Supermarket home , groceries home , home delivery for seniors, shopping for seniors, Elder services, Senior services, BJS Home Delivery, Prescription Drug Delivery, Department Store Delivery, Fry’s Food Delivery, Lowes home Delivery Service at Scottsdale AZ

    ReplyDelete
  15. The Center for Body Wellness offers Massage and CBD Massage at Rochester NY. Call us now: 585-266-6730

    ReplyDelete

  16. Yankeeclippersbarbershop.com offers Barbershop, Men’s Haircuts, Straight razor cuts, Neck shave, Trendy haircuts, Barber, Straight Razor shaves at Augusta GA. Call us now: 706.496.3342

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hand Rails | Security Cages | Steel Coating | Custom Ironwork | Welding at Tucson AZ

    ReplyDelete
  18. Realestatebydavidschoelles.com offers David Schoelles Real Estate, Cash for Homes at Arizona, Scottsdale AZ, and Phoenix AZ

    ReplyDelete
  19. David Schoeless Plumbing, David Schoeless at AZ, Scottsdale AZ, Phoenix AZ

    ReplyDelete
  20. davidschoelles.net offersDavid Schoeless Plumbing, David Schoeless at AZ, Scottsdale AZ, Phoenix AZ

    ReplyDelete
  21. Carpet, upholstery cleaning, carpet stain, odor removal, carpet steam, ceramic tile, commercial carpet cleaning at mobile al

    ReplyDelete
  22. Fleet Tire Repair Service, Mobile Truck Tire repair, Fleet Roadside Assistance and Mobile flat Truck Tire repair at Queens NY

    ReplyDelete