I read a spiritual training article in a philosophy class in college.  Essentially, it said for one to gain the most insight in life, it’s necessary to be a player and not a bystander.  Doing is a requirement to living.  Work more and relax less.  Write more and read less.  I know that both of these are dichotomies where one is the necessary opposite of the other, but you learn best by doing and refining your methods through your own experience.  Thinking and writing help you understand, most importantly, what you think about life – not what someone else thinks about it.

A lot of people want a manual.  A cheat sheet that circumvents learning by experience.  These are the people who are afraid of life…  Afraid of getting out there and doing…  Afraid of making something out of themselves.  They’re afraid to make a mistake.  Like they’ll be eternally judged for doing so.  So, they cave in and become passive…  Indulge in video games, drugs, alcohol or other abuses that are counter-productive.  Even if the passive habits aren’t destructive, time off is many times best spent as time on.  To a degree, any activity engaged in that is passive and doesn’t keep you giving, alive, growing, and engaged in life is to be avoided.  If you’re not living you’re dying.

Give it a shot.  Next time you want to spend a half hour reading, sit down at your word processor and write instead.  Even if it’s not complete sentences, just write down ideas.  Dreams.  Problems you’re trying to figure out.  When you do, you’re inner intelligence helps you come up with solutions to those problems.  It’s a method of focusing your mind and is way more productive than zoning out passively to TV or a magazine.  Everything has a time and a place, but give the doing challenge a try.  You might find more energy and a sharper, cleaner mind when you’re all done.