Boredom: the Mother of Creativity

I read an article recently about how social interaction helps us to function at our very best. Our minds are built to connect, to talk, and to share.

But imagine for a second if it all went quiet. Imagine a world where you are just hearing the birds whispering and the oceans clashing; the steady dribbling of the water droplets, the quiet ballet of the falling leaves, the sudden whoosh of a blowing wind.

Imagine there was no music, no movies, no social media—nothing.

We would still find a way to entertain ourselves. We always do. I believe entertainment is out way of escaping that heavy, natural silence. But here is the thing: When the silence starts speaking, the ideas begin to flow. And when we create something to escape boredom, we end up building the exact bridge we need to connect with each other.

It is a full circle moment. We need social interaction to function, boredom forces us to create culture and that culture gives us the very things we need to communicate and interact.

Think about it. It is this desperate need to bridge the gap between us that makes us build human culture. We created Easter and Christmas traditions, beauty pageants like Miss World and Miss Universe. We created wrestling, reality TV, news and gossip, the Dr. Phil Show, City Marathons, and endless series.



Image source: magnific.com




We come home after a long day of work and put on a movie or a favorite episode. And what do we do the next morning? We talk about it. The entertainment dissolves the boredom, and then it feeds our social connection.

I once heard that because there was not so much entertainment in the past, that is why people gave birth a lot! It makes sense, right? People had to find a way to interact.

We make up things just to "happy ourselves" and give us reasons to gather. In winter, we have the Christmas Markets. In spring, the Spring Festival. In summer, we have open-air concerts. In autumn, we find Halloween and Thanksgiving. We are constantly inventing seasons of celebration so we don't have to face the quiet alone.

Some people make it their job to entertain us. And while it looks easy on the outside, it does not always. It takes immense work to turn a lonely thought into a shared reality.

-● A thought becomes an idea which beats a music that is sang years and years on.
-● A thought becomes a surgical step that is learnt decades on.
-● A thought becomes a book that is studied in schools for centuries.
-● An idea becomes a world-famous painting celebrated for years, like the Mona Lisa or a Michelangelo masterpiece.

These ideas live on for generations to profit from. Our thoughts lead to our passion, and our passion leads to the things that bring us together.

In a way, boredom is the director of the movie. He sees the vision from afar and directs the scene. We need boredom to step in. If we are always distracted, the director never gets to call "Action."

The poet Joseph Brodsky once wrote: "When hit by boredom, go for it. Let yourself be crushed by it; submerge, hit bottom... the sooner you hit bottom, the faster you surface." What would happen if we didn’t fear being bored? What if we let ourselves hit the bottom of the quiet, so we could surface with something new?

Like I always say, Ideas are Currency.

The Power of the Moment: Why the First Impression Matters—and Why It Doesn't Always

There are moments that hold a special place in our hearts forever. The "firsts." Your first real love, the first home, the first major success—these moments profoundly shape who we are.

And then there is the first impression. The tricky thing about the first impression isn't that it's unnecessary, but that it's incredibly difficult to change later on. It's the unspoken, yet crucial, starting line for every new relationship, every encounter, every change.



We all know this feeling, especially in the professional world: In the first week of a new job, people feel they have to push their absolute hardest. They're not just showing who they are, but who they aspire to be. They're essentially putting on a "show"—that intense urge to constantly prove themselves and over-impress.

For more expert advice on the initial seven seconds, see this guide from TIME Magazine on How To Make The Best First Impression



But no matter how hard you try to "sell yourself" or "put on a performance" in that initial phase, it always comes down to the same thing: People see you, and they immediately make a critical assessment: "How much respect am I going to give this person?"

Unfortunately, bias plays a massive role here. "She looks too young; I’d prefer the older one." "He seems too eager." Our brains look for shortcuts. The problem is: These initial judgments cement themselves quickly. Trying to shake them off later often feels like begging for a second chance. And let's be honest: Life doesn't hand out too many opportunities for a second first impression.

That’s why we should treat every day like a new beginning. Especially in healthcare professions, where the stakes are highest, we must always be aware: A normal workday for us is often the most important day in our patient's life.

There is a simple formula for this: When you meet someone, project professionalism and humanity. This starts with a genuine greeting and extends all the way to your external presence (clothing, posture). For the patient, only one thing matters in that moment: They need to feel safe and seen.



Looking Beyond the Facade

Someone once said that when we first meet another person, we are ultimately trying to answer two questions:

Can I trust you?

Can I rely on you?

Your presence and your words provide the initial answer.

This is precisely why we must also be vigilant against the "fake nice people"—those who are only there to gather information and will discard you as soon as you are no longer useful. If you’re not careful, you’ll be bleeding before a shark. Some people are just waiting to prey on your vulnerabilities. Be wise: The first impression never tells the whole story.

If we circle back to the beginning, to first love: It starts with a first impression—often the best one we can ever convey. Because in that moment, we offer the other person the best possible version of ourselves, hoping to gain their trust.

We owe this dedication to our patients and clients as well. But in the end, the most important principle applies: Your goal should not be to make a good first impression. Your goal should simply be to be perfectly okay with the fact that the other person may or may not like you—and that is completely fine.



Your integrity and your worth remain untouched by their judgment.