it’s a wonderful day for doing nothing…
Is it time to disconnect and live in the moment?
This section of the blog is just for teens and young adults who want to know more about the Spark. Search ‘Tips for Teens’ on the blog to find practical advice, simple tools and inspiration to help you stay connected to your Spark and let your inner light shine.
Today I challenge you to do nothing. Say, what?
No, not ‘nothing’ as in “zone out in front of the TV eating toast.” Or “lie on your bed checking TikTok on your phone every five minutes.” I mean, doing none of the things you usually do, for one day.
This may seem a little crazy, but in true Spark-style, I’ve actually got a pretty good point here. How often do you allow yourself to take a break and just ‘be’? What does that even mean, anyway?
It seems like we’re all so caught up in living that we’re forgetting to er, actually live. Ever have that feeling? You start thinking, “As soon as I finish my schoolwork / pass my exams / have more money / look like [insert name of gorgeous celeb] I will be able to just enjoy life.” We hear ya. The thing is, that’s a dangerous trap to get stuck in – you end up living your life away just thinking about a time in the future when you’ll be able to actually live. Do you want to have all your adventures when you’re 80?
Didn’t think so.
Challenge Accepted
So here it is – your challenge for today is to start living by doing nothing. That is, give yourself permission to set aside all work, chores, worries and to-do lists for one day (or half a day, or just an hour!) and enjoy doing nothing. Your ‘nothing’ can look like whatever you want it to look like – snuggle up with a journal, go for a long walk, roller-skate at your local park, paint a picture, have a bubble bath. There are only three conditions:
- It has to be relaxing, enjoyable and positive
- Challenge yourself to turn off ALL communications – phone, email, no opening up Insta, etc
- You need to be able to let your brain rest so you can really think
When we give ourselves time to relax and let our thoughts focus on something enjoyable, we open up to the possibility of meeting our Spark. Your Spark is found where the human-you and the soul-you meet. It’s the creative, intuitive, joyful part of you that feels like courage and inspiration and playfulness and inner power. The problem is, we’re so busy thinking and doing nonstop that there usually isn’t much space for our Spark to shine.
Creating space from our usual thoughts, our common habits and our everyday actions helps us to think about how we want to really live our lives, and to live in the moment. It creates space for us to get in touch with the real us underneath all the ideas we’ve been taught about who we should be, or what we should be doing.
what does your spark want to do today?
It’s really hard to listen to our Spark when life is hectic. Why not give your soul some space to talk to you today, and see how you Spark wants to express itself. Tell us how you’re going to spend your day doing nothing, or share what makes you feel like you’ve pressed ‘reset’ over on our Instagram page.
About
the author
Hi, I'm Nikki
I created The Spark when I realised I’d lost touch with my own inner light, buried under years of over-work and overwhelm. After witnessing far too many children becoming smaller versions of themselves, shrinking back, disconnecting and becoming disillusioned, I’m on a mission to ignite my Spark to help children to find theirs, changing the way we nurture small humans into being.
What started as a journey of self-discovery is growing into a global movement to create a better childhood for all children and young people. Will you join me?
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