Boredom’s Opposite Isn’t Excitement…

It’s Opportunity.

I had a number of conversations last week about this feeling I was having—kind of a malaise, almost a low-lying depression, you could call it. I have to acknowledge that, prior to expressing this in February, I had also been sick, traveling, dealing with some surprises during that travel, and hosting family in town. Occasionally, I felt like my schedule wasn’t quite my own, that my routine or rhythm was a little off and out of my grasp.

By the end of February, I realized this was probably also on top of a pretty quiet January. I hadn’t added any more clients, which I consider a measure of success, and I found myself judging my performance—and my business’s performance—as lacking.

So, after all this over the last couple of months, I was left with this low, angsty, sort of helpless feeling. And after some reflection, I concluded that what I was really feeling was boredom.

It struck me, as I reflected both alone and out loud with people I trust, that I don’t actually consider the opposite of boredom to be excitement. At least in this chapter of my life, the opposite of boredom feels more like opportunity. By creating, seeing, and seizing opportunity, I do experience excitement—but I also experience much more. There’s fulfillment, pride, accomplishment, satisfaction, delight, learning, and creativity. All of these are the other end of the experiential spectrum from boredom.

There’s also something that predicates creativity, and that’s curiosity. It’s an inherent desire to learn more, to not just seek out answers but to create experiences—for myself or for others—that fully address and satisfy the curiosity. It reminded me of something I used to say all the time when I was hiring in the startup I led prior to my coaching business. I’d tell people, “There are two things that are really important here: curiosity and passion.”

The reason I found those two qualities so critical is that one can often make up for the other. When your curiosity wanes, if your passion is activated and stoked, it can fill the gap—and vice versa. If your passion is dormant, but you’re really curious about the work, the outcomes, or the experience, that curiosity can make up for the lack of passion. It may sound simplistic to say I look for curiosity and passion, but maybe there’s a reason it’s that simple. I’ve found that if people have one or both of those qualities running through them on a more or less daily basis, they thrive—and their teams thrive as a result.

So, how does this all relate to boredom and opportunity? Well, every now and then, you have to flip the mirror back on yourself and ask, “What are you doing?” That’s what I did last week. I had to be honest with myself and recognize, “Dave, you’re in a season of boredom. And now that you’re aware of it, you can absolutely do something about it.”

The conclusion I drew was clear: It’s time to make some opportunities. And the moment I made that turn—toward what needed to be done, toward the creation of opportunities—I felt a shift. My energy changed. What I chose to pay attention to changed. The activities I prioritized during my workdays, and even my weekend, changed.

And I want to be clear: This wasn’t about working endlessly, burning the midnight oil. It was a mental shift. The remaining days of last week, and a portion of today, were attuned to opportunity creation and noticing what was possible. Because I put a satisfying amount of effort and time into creating opportunities, I was able to completely enjoy the weekend. I wasn’t working non-stop; I allowed myself space to rest, with maybe an hour of sending some DMs on LinkedIn.

Now I’m back on a Monday with focused energy, aiming toward opportunity creation and high-leverage behaviors.

To put a bow on this: If you’re feeling bored, down, or maybe a bit helpless, consider when and how you can start generating and creating opportunities for yourself, in whatever way that means for you. Opportunities can often lift you out of boredom—and they absolutely do lift me.