Being Vs Doing

In episode four, Rob talked about how being vs doing is critical for creating long-term change. This is because doing is all about activity whereas being is a state of being. So if you want to be more productive and enjoy your life, it’s important to focus on being. Being is about being in the moment and focusing on your senses. For example, if you’re feeling stressed and anxious, going for a walk or taking some time to sit down on the beach and feel the sand between your toes can help bring you back into being.

When being is replaced by the being vs doing mode, the mind continuously compares its current reality with its perceived ideal reality and tries to reduce this gap with thoughts and activities. This leads to frustration because the gap remains even after the mind has spit out more tasks in hopes that it will eventually land somewhere closer to its utopia.

Finding Balance: Being vs. Doing in Today’s World

Being vs doing can also be influenced by your embodied worldview and how it drives the incentives you get from your environment to do or not do things. So, if you want to be more productive and have a better quality of life, changing your worldview is the first step.

A coach can be a great tool to help you challenge your beliefs and shift from the driven-doing mode to being. A coach can also help you find ways to incorporate being into your day to day, such as through meditation or a mindfulness practice like intentional coloring or tracing.