It was a simple moment, completely out of context.
I saw a high-school-aged kid sitting in a car, scrolling on their phone, while their parent ran into the grocery store.
Nothing wrong with it.
Nothing dramatic.
But it stuck with me.
Because it made me think about how rarely we’re asked to do things we don’t want to do anymore.
If there is always something to distract us, a constant drip of dopamine, another option to reach for when things get boring, uncomfortable, or hard, are we slowly training ourselves to avoid discomfort altogether?
And that’s where the conflict shows up.
Deliberate Practice teaches us that growth happens inside discomfort.
Consistency teaches us that improvement comes from returning there again and again.
But modern life does everything it can to make sure we never have to sit in that space.
It’s actually hard to find boredom now. Everywhere we turn, something is asking for our attention. Over time, we’ve accepted the idea that boredom is something to eliminate instead of something to move through.
We see this play out consistently with our six-year-old.
He asks to watch something.
We say no.
He gets frustrated.
Five minutes later, he announces he’s “deeply bored” and has nothing to do.
Then there’s silence.
Five minutes after that, he’s outside, trying to connect a rope, a tire, and a tree.
This isn’t an argument against screens. They’re an easy target. The algorithm, whether it lives on your phone, Netflix, or ESPN (yes, its on your sports apps now too), is designed to learn your preferences and never stop tempting you.
The more interesting question is this:
What if boredom isn’t the obstacle but instead becomes the edge?
If I’m willing to lean into the things most people avoid, the boring reps, the quiet extra work, the stretching routine that never quite becomes a habit, the nutrition plan wrinkled in the back of that folder I opened once, what starts to change?
That’s where the gap begins to form.
Not in talent. Not in motivation.
But in a willingness to stay present when things aren’t exciting. Seek out the boring.
So here’s the question:
Can you identify a small set of otherwise boring skills, habits, or reps that, practiced consistently, would quietly move you from good to excellent?
Because when everyone else looks for stimulation, comfort, or shortcuts, the edge might belong to the person who’s willing to sit in the quiet and keep going.
