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Il bel far niente. This beautiful Italian phrase means 'the beauty of nothingness'.
If you have seen the popular movie Eat, Pray, Love starring Julia Roberts, you know that her character begins to truly understand what the beauty of nothingness means while she is spending time in the beautiful city of Rome. She is told by an Italian friend that we "Americans" don't know how to enjoy il bel far niente because we are always DOING something.
Just like the Energizer Bunny, we keep Going, and Going, and Going. We don't know how to enjoy ourselves when doing absolutely nothing! Americans don't appreciate il bel far niente - the beauty of nothingness. Can you relate to this???
So, how can you learn to embrace il bel far niente? And, why should you? For one thing, nothingness equates to peacefulness, and we could all use more peace in our lives, right? It's just so easy to come up with a reason to not enjoy the beauty of nothingness....there's laundry to be done, groceries to be purchased, dinners to be made. We couldn't possibly HAVE any time to do NOTHING, and to actually enjoy it!
Well, you begin by giving yourself permission to realize that you don't have to schedule every minute of your day with a task from the never ending "to do" list. It's OK to just do nothing..............and (here is the important part) not feel GUILTY about it.
By doing nothing you are actually honoring yourself and you are living your life. You are living in the *present* moment, as opposed to reliving the past or worrying about the future. And, when you really think about it...the present is all we really have.
Here are some of our tips on how you can begin to enjoy il bel far niente:
1. Schedule time in your day timer to just do nothing! Even if it is just 15 minutes per day. Use this time to relax and *turn off* your sense of urgency.
2. Meditate or practice yoga. This will help you really be in touch with your thoughts and feelings, momentarily escape from your immediate stresses and worries.
3. Schedule time for a mini-siesta! Even if that means just closing your eyes for 10 minutes during your lunch break.
4. Pay attention to your breathing patterns. Many of us actually forget to breathe! Take a deep breath in threw your nose, hold it for 5 seconds and then slowly exhale through your mouth.
5. Turn off the radio while you are driving. Use this time to let your mind wander and ponder (but do keep both eyes on the road!)
Il Bel Far Niente - make it part of your daily routine!
Make today a Masterpiece!
Jen and Leah
If you have seen the popular movie Eat, Pray, Love starring Julia Roberts, you know that her character begins to truly understand what the beauty of nothingness means while she is spending time in the beautiful city of Rome. She is told by an Italian friend that we "Americans" don't know how to enjoy il bel far niente because we are always DOING something.
Just like the Energizer Bunny, we keep Going, and Going, and Going. We don't know how to enjoy ourselves when doing absolutely nothing! Americans don't appreciate il bel far niente - the beauty of nothingness. Can you relate to this???
So, how can you learn to embrace il bel far niente? And, why should you? For one thing, nothingness equates to peacefulness, and we could all use more peace in our lives, right? It's just so easy to come up with a reason to not enjoy the beauty of nothingness....there's laundry to be done, groceries to be purchased, dinners to be made. We couldn't possibly HAVE any time to do NOTHING, and to actually enjoy it!
Well, you begin by giving yourself permission to realize that you don't have to schedule every minute of your day with a task from the never ending "to do" list. It's OK to just do nothing..............and (here is the important part) not feel GUILTY about it.
By doing nothing you are actually honoring yourself and you are living your life. You are living in the *present* moment, as opposed to reliving the past or worrying about the future. And, when you really think about it...the present is all we really have.
Here are some of our tips on how you can begin to enjoy il bel far niente:
1. Schedule time in your day timer to just do nothing! Even if it is just 15 minutes per day. Use this time to relax and *turn off* your sense of urgency.
2. Meditate or practice yoga. This will help you really be in touch with your thoughts and feelings, momentarily escape from your immediate stresses and worries.
3. Schedule time for a mini-siesta! Even if that means just closing your eyes for 10 minutes during your lunch break.
4. Pay attention to your breathing patterns. Many of us actually forget to breathe! Take a deep breath in threw your nose, hold it for 5 seconds and then slowly exhale through your mouth.
5. Turn off the radio while you are driving. Use this time to let your mind wander and ponder (but do keep both eyes on the road!)
Il Bel Far Niente - make it part of your daily routine!
Make today a Masterpiece!
Jen and Leah
1 comment:
Loved the movie and your advice..Thabk-you
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