The Simply Luxurious Life®: Why It’s Okay to be Boring  

May 21, 2012

Why It’s Okay to be Boring


“Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.”–John Maxwell

A handful of times throughout my adult life I have been accused of being boring. Initially, such statements stung because I, like so many others, have been conditioned to believe that “boring” was negative and something to aspire not to be. But then, after much contemplation, I began to consider the source of the statement and then consider the context in which the statement was made. Having analyzed both aspects, I have come to own my boringness.

And here is why:


If being boring means . . .
. . . gradually accomplishing my goals, then I’m more than happy to attain success.

If being boring means . . .
. . . treating my body respectfully, then my future 80-year old body will thank me later.

If being boring means . . .
. . . respecting my instincts, then my self-esteem will will not be dashed.

If being boring means . . .
. . . enabling my focus to be unshakeable, then wasted time will not deter me.

If being boring means . . .
. . . going out, but coming home at a decent hour, then my energy level will be ready to go the next day without losing a step.

If being boring means . . .
. . . being seen as a leader, instead of a follower, then at least I know I’m living my life and not somebody else’s.

And if being boring means . . .
. . . taking care of all of the responsibilities I have accepted gladly (home ownership, doggie mama, educator, writer, adult, etc), then I know I am content with my youth, wish to leave it in the past and do not try to relive it.

Yes, I wholeheartedly accept the label of boring. Each year my life reaches a high that I had not seen before. And while there are many moments throughout the duration when I have stumbled, made mistakes or had to reassess how I approached something, I have come to realize that I am content with my life. And while some (who either don’t know me or refuse to accept and understand who I am) may see my life as boring, I find it quite exhilarating, and those who genuinely love and respect me don’t feel the need to pull me down with such petty remarks.

While at this point in my life it is time to put my nose to the grindstone and work without looking at the clock, I am confident that in doing so I will have time to let go a bit more later in my life. But what I am doing now, I quite enjoy. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy feeling productive at the end of the day – exhausted, but productive.  I have come to learn from observing others’ mistakes and successes, that success doesn’t just land in our laps. We must go out and work for it – work hard for it. And yes, we will have to make sacrifices.

“Every time you stay out late; every time you sleep in; every time you miss a workout; every time you don’t give 100% – You make it that much easier for me to beat you.”-Unknown

Right now I am the putting in my time, trying to learn from every mistake and constantly seeking answers to questions I didn’t even know existed five years ago.

So if labeling me as “boring” makes other people feel better about themselves, I’m fine with that.  In fact, I couldn’t be more thrilled to be called boring. After all, regardless of your political preference, while a student at Columbia University Barack Obama was constantly chided by his roommate for being boring. I can only wonder what his roommate is doing now.

“An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men.”–Thomas Fuller



Images: (1) pinterest 

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38 Comments:

At May 21, 2012 at 1:36 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Wonderful photos and great quotes !

Kisses, ysophisticates.blogspot.com

 
At May 21, 2012 at 2:17 AM , Blogger Sally said...

Oh, I'm 'boring' too! ;-)

I often think it's a label given to someone when the person making the remark is, in reality, questioning their own choices/behaviour.

 
At May 21, 2012 at 2:47 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your blog and especially this post is well written, inspiring and a subject a lot of people can relate to. If being boring is the equivalent of your stories, then I salute you and your boringness. I hope you have a lovely day!

 
At May 21, 2012 at 3:37 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Love your blog and your post! I too salute you and your boringness!

 
At May 21, 2012 at 4:55 AM , Blogger Michelle said...

I'm boring too! Thank you for this post! :)

 
At May 21, 2012 at 5:24 AM , Blogger Talia said...

Oh, I must be terribly boring. :) A very well written post (as always).

Lovely images!

 
At May 21, 2012 at 6:54 AM , Blogger Rebecca D said...

Keep being boring! Your blog is one of my new found favorites. Btw, I'm boring too!

 
At May 21, 2012 at 8:33 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Very true - life offers so many distractions and if we don't want to fall a prey to those, people tend to label us. That is why I love my 30ths. As a woman I am confident in what I want to do and don't do, even if the surroundings don't always agree! Great post..

www.azrakunworld.com

 
At May 21, 2012 at 9:44 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love this blog, but was NOT happy to see Obama come up. Please keep politics out.

 
At May 21, 2012 at 9:56 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

To the poster above, the discussion was not focused on politics. It was merely an example of how the most successful people are labeled 'boring.'

Tiger Woods was once called a loser for practicing golf Saturday nights, this is the same analogy

 
At May 21, 2012 at 10:01 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is such a wonderful post. I, too have been called boring. I have taken it to heart and have tried to change myself into a more 'interesting' person, in which I felt even worse for not being myself

I realize whoever says that doesn't know me well. I can proudly say I am an interesting and talented person. People fail to recognize these qualities in others, and therefore label them as boring.

 
At May 21, 2012 at 10:10 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love this post! Perfect timing because I needed this reminder!! Thank you sooooooooo much for writing this!! I am boring too! Lets continue to be boring together! :)

 
At May 21, 2012 at 10:14 AM , Blogger Lacey R said...

I needed this reminder too. Thanks for this post, you summed it up so well.

 
At May 21, 2012 at 10:25 AM , Blogger Rohima Begum said...

Okay...I'm boring too:))

I love this post! Thank You for this post

 
At May 21, 2012 at 11:25 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Love this post! I have also been called "boring" from a very young age but have grown to enjoy every aspect of it.

 
At May 21, 2012 at 12:01 PM , Blogger Casee Marie said...

Shannon, thank you for this! "Boring" is one of those words that I think people reserve for anything that disinterests them and so I've been on the receiving end of it many times, for my interests or decisions. I realized after a time that I could either abandon my boringness or embrace it - and since I love my art, literature and foreign films too much to ever abandon them, I went for the second option and never looked back. Sometimes it's easy, though, to feel like you're the only Boring out there. You and the other commenters on this post definitely proved otherwise - and for that I'm quite grateful!

 
At May 21, 2012 at 1:10 PM , Anonymous Scsw said...

I am boring too! Sometimes I wish that I was more of a risk taker. I think I miss out sometimes because of my conscience and my choices.

However, I am who I am & that is ok too. Boring it is!!! :)

 
At May 21, 2012 at 1:38 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

There's obviously a lot of us "boring" girls out there doing out thing quite happily - seems to me it's those who have a problem with it who may need to look at their lives and what they're achieving. These are wonderful quotes and I am sure I will use one or two of them myself at some appropriate moment. Thank you.

 
At May 21, 2012 at 1:54 PM , Anonymous Leanne Maguire said...

Love this post!! Very well done. When I was younger my school mates called me "boring" because I knew what I wanted to do and did not follow the herd. As I grow oder and albet "wiser" I'll take "boring" anyday of the week, for I know I'm being true to myself :))
Take Care.

 
At May 21, 2012 at 2:43 PM , Blogger Karla@TheClassyWoman said...

Fantastic post, Shannon! As always, you are spot on! Although nobody has ever called me boring, I can imagine that some would probably view me that way at times. I've never been one to follow the crowd if I felt strongly against something or felt it was a waste of my time. Time is precious, and I was aware of that in my early 20's. While others were trying to recover from a hangover, I was at the gym. While others relaxed all weekend, I worked full time hours while going to school full time. I knew that I was building a life I would be proud of. Since hubby and I travel quite a bit, I seem to go from being boring and then suddenly the envy of my friends because I've seen so much more of the world. I'm just happy doing what makes me happy. At the end of the day we need to be comfortable with ourselves and our lives. If others cannot understand, it's their issue. I generally find that those who are considered "boring" are those who seem to be the most productive and accomplished. :)

 
At May 21, 2012 at 4:57 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

nothing is inherently boring. Bored is your response....you: own it.

 
At May 21, 2012 at 5:32 PM , Blogger The Simply Luxurious Life said...

It is absolutely important to be who you are and not succumb to outside pressures to be someone else, but I don't believe that living a life that is goal-oriented (as some would label "boring") means you are not a risk-taker. In fact, I think that someone who is focused and willing to say no to the late-night hijinks every weekend that so many people feel they have to participate in actually takes more of a risk because they are betting on themselves and chasing their dreams, often times, alone. This is risky because there is uncertainty, but the pay-offs can be so very wonderfully rewarding.

 
At May 21, 2012 at 6:35 PM , Blogger The Simply Luxurious Life said...

I have a feeling you are quite interesting. It's just a matter of others taking the time to appreciate all that you truly are and taking the time to discover your uniqueness.

 
At May 21, 2012 at 6:36 PM , Blogger The Simply Luxurious Life said...

Insightful observation

 
At May 22, 2012 at 6:36 AM , Anonymous Salma said...

Great post and great quotes!

 
At May 23, 2012 at 12:10 AM , Anonymous thefashionistachic said...

I think boring is save. I am not boring nor save. I don't condemn those who are, if it wasn't for the boring there wouldn't be the exciting.

 
At May 23, 2012 at 8:46 AM , Blogger Ana Trigo said...

Great post! Thank you on behalf of all the women that have also been called "boring" anytime, including me ;)

 
At May 25, 2012 at 5:33 AM , Anonymous Cathy W. said...

Thank you for the insight!
I often feel frustrated with myself for being boring...when, as you point out, I am really living a productive,responsible, adult life. Working at a useful (UN-glamourous!) job in the medical field, maintaining a welcoming home, cooking simple healthy meals, spending a quiet evening with my lovely husband. From your perspective it is the ideal to aspire to rather than mundane.
As much as I hate to admit it, does what I perceive as glamourous and exciting even really exist? Does anyone really live like Holly Golightly or Carrie Bradshaw??
I think all of us who enjoy Shannon's blog would agree that the excitement is found in the simple luxuries.

 
At May 29, 2012 at 6:12 PM , Blogger Stacey said...

Right on! Thanks Shannon for encouraging the idea of being true to oneself and doing what makes one happy. I have been called "boring" several times throughout my life and have found that the times when I didn't listen to those people's opinion, but ignored them and continued what I was doing, that's when I've felt most at peace with myself.

There is an overwhelming sentiment in society that calls for us (women specially) to be scandalous, attention-seeking (in a negative way) and overly sexualized, and I strongly believe that to go along with society is to sell ourselves short.

It's refreshing to read your blog and be inspired by your message of 'uniqueness', tapping into one's personal power and believing in possibility. Thanks for providing an inspiring haven for all of us who have decided to 'choose ourselves'.

Stacey
http://bitsbliss.blogspot.com/

 
At May 30, 2012 at 11:05 AM , Anonymous Christine Ringuette said...

I really cannot thank you enough for your blog posts, how much they've helped me reach my potential. I'm feeling very stressed and unproductive lately--mainly because I'm juggling too many glass balls and watching them each shatter when I drop them--and after reading this, I know that I am proud to be "boring" and know the importance of a good night's sleep.
Thanks!!
Christine

 
At June 5, 2012 at 12:42 PM , Blogger Shannon Ables said...

The images that we are fed probably exist at some point, but at a constant level, I doubt. And if they did, well quite frankly, it would be hard to appreciate everything when it is glamorous all of the time. Beautiful and quite accurate observation.

 
At June 5, 2012 at 12:47 PM , Blogger Shannon Ables said...

Exactly.

 
At October 31, 2012 at 11:03 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

You are not boring at all,I can't get enough of your posts,every time I learn something and take it with me.. I think it is better to have more inside then you can show,then look promising and interesting ,attract people only to disappoint ...I was called boring at my 20th,now all my friends asking me how do I manage to look so young at 35? Well,I don't drink,I go to sleep at 11 ,I am trying to eat healthy ,raising 3 beautiful kids ,I have guts to tel no to a lot of stuff I can't afford both physically and financially ...I admire you and thank you for sharing with others your awesome beautiful ideas and thoughts

 
At January 17, 2013 at 1:35 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

So very thankful for this blog. I'm working towards being my authentic, boring self at 50! With a French flair of course!
:-)

 
At March 1, 2013 at 2:33 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love my boring me =)

 
At July 14, 2013 at 3:25 AM , Anonymous Funsouk said...

No, Its really not ok to being bored. Enjoy each and every moment of your life by doing some crazy and funny things. Great blog thanks for sharing.

 
At August 15, 2013 at 12:00 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Life is precious.. enjoy each and every moment of your life. Thanks for the idea What to do when bored

 
At October 8, 2013 at 2:47 PM , Blogger lizziemarie said...

Hi, I'm in high school and I don't know why, but I'm being called boring....one person even goes so far as to call me 'grandma', I'm not lazy, I don't ramble on about scientific facts , I don't think I'm different from any teenage girl my age,.,and it hurts so much to be called a grandma and to be laughed at and I feel if this is how one person feels then maybe everyone else think so too....thank you for this post, it's made me feel better, I can't be someone I'm not, and while I'm frustrated and sad bcus I don't see what's so bad about me that I'm labelled like this, I am who I am, perceptions are not always the reality...thank you

 

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