Doing Nothing is Pooh Wisdom
According to the great philosopher, Winnie the Pooh, “doing nothing often leads to the very best of something.” I needed to hear that. Thanks, Pooh.
Growing up, I adored the stories of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin. The innocent adventures of the beloved characters has warmed the hearts of generations of readers. Recently, I got around to watching the reimagined movie, Christopher Robin, featuring Ewan McGregor as a grown-up, workaholic Robin. The film was great and certainly evoked some feelings that hit close to home with a recurring theme that resonated with me.
Following a request for Robin to work over the weekend, neglecting a planned family trip, Giles Winslow tells him, “Well, I’ll let you into a little secret. Dreams don’t come for free, Robin. Nothing comes from nothing.” It’s a strong statement that pressures Robin into ditching his family to work overtime for the Winslow luggage business who were desperate for an effective solution to fix their bank balance.
It’s a claim that makes sense. You do have to work hard to achieve your goals, this is true. You can’t expect things to be handed to you on a silver platter — unless you’re a Winslow, of course. There is nothing wrong with the statement in isolation, but its result is devastating. Robin bails on the family holiday, putting a strain on his marriage and distance between himself and his daughter. Burying himself in papers and furiously forcing out answers to Winslow’s financial problems, Robin is pushed to the brink of self-destruction.
This is a familiar situation for many of us. I can think of many times where I’ve been faced with problems that have demanded so much from me that I’ve neglected other areas of my life. I often let problems consume me and eat me up — which may explain why I’ve started finding more grey hairs. I’m constantly wearing multiple hats, never stopping to breathe. I’m sure many of us can relate to that.
It is through this context that Pooh’s words of wisdom carry so much weight. Like a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day, Pooh comes through with a statement that spoke to my soul on a level deeper than one would expect a ‘bear of very little brain’ to do.
“Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something.”
I needed to hear this like you wouldn’t believe. On the brink of burn out, I’ve pumped the breaks on a few things that have been big in life so that I can simply stop and do nothing. Doing nothing scares me. I need to be busy. Any time not spent on a productive task is time wasted, as has been my philosophy. I’m constantly on the go. I’ve never had just one job, I’ve always had two or more on the go. If it’s not paid work, it’s volunteer work. Even on holidays, while my wife just wants to lie down or take a nap, I must do something, so I write a travel diary. I’ve conditioned myself into the fear of doing nothing.
Now I’m in a place where I am forcing myself to do nothing. After a few seconds of trying to do nothing, I conjure up another task to add to my to-do list. Usually, it’s something trivial or unnecessary but it’s something, because something is better than nothing, or so I thought.
This is why Pooh’s words hit me hard. I needed that reminder than doing nothing can be very productive. It is often in a time of doing nothing that we are rejuvenated and inspired. When we allow our minds to wander some of the most brilliant ideas can come to mind. Instead of using up our brain’s capacity on mundane tasks, keeping some room free for imagination and creativity can do wonders.
My biggest challenge when I’m doing nothing is that my mind is quick to fill the gaps with anxious thoughts. I fear that if I do nothing, my brain will default to anxiety or stress instead. Yet, Pooh’s words give me hope. Perhaps doing nothing could be the most productive thing I do today. What if the very best of something comes out of doing nothing?
I want to become more intentional about doing nothing and being OK with doing nothing. Did I just get permission from Winnie the Pooh to do nothing? My wife has been telling me to do this for years but it took a talking CGI teddy bear to convince me to do it. I sure feel like a Christopher Robins right now.
What a wonderful New Years Resolution — to get better at doing nothing.
I don’t know what 2020 looks like right now, but I’ll start with nothing because doing nothing often leads to the very best of something.
Thanks, Pooh.
