"No moment is wasted if you pay attention and learn the lessons contained in every experience."
— Robert Greene
American Writer / Speaker
1959 -
Commentary
Have you ever said that you were bored? Or maybe your teenage son or daughter claimed to be bored? Boredom is a state of mind in which we choose to be. Life is full of opportunities if we are awake and listening. As writers and artists we need to always be alert to what is happening around us. No moment will be wasted if we pay attention.
Have you ever had to wait in a Doctor's office? Or stood in line at a grocery store or bank? Or waited in line at a fast food restaurant? Were you bored and daydreaming? Or were you paying attention to the details around you. What can you take from the experience and put into your writing? What details would you put into a painting? Can you imitate the cashier? What dialogue can you steal from the mouths of strangers?
When I go shopping with my wife, I have developed the habit of taking my journal with me. I find a place where I can write while she shops. I have written in grocery stores, department stores and large malls. There are always opportunities to write or draw if you are open.
Life is finite. There are only so many years, days and hours that we each are given. Don't waste them being bored. Life is full of opportunity if we choose to pay attention.
Creative Practice
This week while you are waiting in line, take the opportunity to observe the world around you. What do you see or hear that you can use in your creative work? If you are waiting for someone, pull out your journal and write a few notes, draw a picture, create a poem or outline a story. Learn something new from the world in which you live.
Biography
Robert Greene was raised in Los Angeles. He attended the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Greene estimated that he worked at 80 jobs, including construction, translation, and editing, before becoming a writer. His first book, The 48 Laws of Power, was published in 2000 and has sold over 1.2 million copies in the United States alone. His fifth book, Mastery, was published in 2012. Green speaks five languages and is a student of Zen Buddhism.
