It's OK to Be Boring

Summary

Shannon Cason's Homemade Episode: "It's OK to Be Boring"

Release Date: November 14, 2024
Host: Shannon Cason
Podcast Title: Shannon Cason's Homemade

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Introduction: Embracing the Ordinary

In the episode titled "It's OK to Be Boring," Shannon Cason delves into his personal journey of discovering the value in embracing boredom and the ordinary aspects of life. Opening with a reflection on his extensive experience as a storyteller, Shannon sets the stage for an introspective narrative about growth, interests, and authenticity.

Shannon Cason [00:00]: "With age comes experience, so I'm going to pass on some of my wisdom for free."

Early Relationship with Books: From Resistance to Reluctant Reader

Shannon begins by sharing his childhood aversion to reading. He recounts memories of his babysitter, Ms. Clinton, who encouraged him to read instead of engaging in outdoor play. Despite his resistance, these early encounters with books planted the seeds for his eventual appreciation of literature.

Shannon Cason [00:45]: "Libraries are boring. See, as a kid, I wanted to develop my skills at jumping ramps on my bike, playing basketball, going to Pepper Creek to catch garter snakes."

His mother's attempts to foster his reading habits were met with frustration, reinforcing his belief that books were inherently dull.

Shannon Cason [02:15]: "I remember my mom taking me to the library, and it almost felt like a punishment."

A Pivotal Revelation: The Power of Being Boring

The turning point in Shannon's relationship with reading occurs during a visit to his cousin Mary. Observing her deep engagement with a Stephen King novel, he gains a new perspective on the importance of embracing moments of boredom. Mary's assertion that "it's okay to be boring" profoundly impacts him, challenging his previous notions about excitement and productivity.

Mary [02:45]: "Shannon, books are boring. And it's okay to do boring things."

Shannon Cason [04:10]: "That was an incredible revelation for me. It's okay to be boring. Wow, that's a new concept."

This moment serves as a catalyst for Shannon, encouraging him to balance his active pursuits with the quiet introspection that reading offers.

Rediscovering Fiction: Fueling Creativity and Authenticity

Inspired by Mary's words, Shannon revisits his love for reading, particularly fiction, as a means to nurture his creativity. He reflects on how fiction became his "creative muse," influencing his professional and personal life.

Shannon Cason [10:00]: "Fiction is my creative muse. For business, for family, for life."

He shares his experience of picking up "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson after a long hiatus from fiction. The book not only reignites his passion for reading but also fuels his imagination, leading to vivid, albeit humorous, apprehensions about a zombie apocalypse.

Shannon Cason [12:30]: "My mind had created vivid nightmares rooted in my own fears of a zombie apocalypse. And we're definitely getting a zombie apocalypse."

Balancing Professionalism and Personal Interests

As Shannon transitions into his professional career, he notices a shift in his reading habits towards self-help and business nonfiction. While beneficial for his career, this focus leads him to feel like he's becoming "everyone," diluting his authentic self.

Shannon Cason [20:15]: "Being everyone is what's really boring. Being everyone doesn't make me a better employee, salesperson or leader. Being everyone neglects the world of the real me."

Recognizing this, Shannon decides to reconnect with his genuine interests by incorporating fiction back into his reading repertoire, thus reclaiming his individuality and creativity.

Impact on Personal Life: Teaching by Example

Shannon's newfound appreciation for embracing boredom and reading fiction extends to his personal life, particularly in his relationship with his daughter. When she questions his choice to read over engaging in play, Shannon imparts the valuable lesson he learned from Mary.

Shannon Cason [25:50]: "Doing boring things help you never become a boring person. It's okay to be boring."

This advice fosters a shared love for reading between Shannon and his daughter, highlighting the episode's central theme of finding value in the seemingly mundane.

Conclusion: Celebrating Authentic Interests

Shannon wraps up the episode by reaffirming his commitment to reading diverse genres, especially crime fiction, and encourages listeners to share their book recommendations. He emphasizes that embracing one's true interests, even if they are perceived as boring by others, leads to a more authentic and fulfilling life.

Shannon Cason [30:00]: "If you have any good suggestions on books, crime fiction or otherwise, shoot me a note or leave it in the comments, let me know."

He extends gratitude to his supporters and listeners, reinforcing the community aspect of his storytelling journey.

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Key Takeaways:

• Embracing Boredom: Accepting and valuing mundane moments can lead to personal growth and creativity.
• Authenticity Over Conformity: Staying true to one's interests, even if they diverge from societal expectations, fosters a more genuine self.
• The Power of Fiction: Fiction serves as a creative outlet that enriches both personal and professional aspects of life.
• Intergenerational Learning: Sharing values and lessons with the next generation can cultivate shared interests and deeper connections.

Notable Quotes:

• Shannon Cason [02:45]: "Shannon, books are boring. And it's okay to do boring things."
• Shannon Cason [04:10]: "That was an incredible revelation for me. It's okay to be boring. Wow, that's a new concept."
• Shannon Cason [20:15]: "Being everyone is what's really boring. Being everyone doesn't make me a better employee, salesperson or leader."

Final Thoughts:

In "It's OK to Be Boring," Shannon Cason eloquently explores the intersection of boredom, creativity, and authenticity. Through personal anecdotes and reflective insights, he encourages listeners to embrace the ordinary as a pathway to discovering their true selves and fostering creativity. This episode serves as a reminder that in a world that often glorifies constant activity and achievement, there is profound value in the simplicity of being.

Transcript

[Shannon Case]

Before we start, I've been telling stories for a long time. A long time. Sometimes I don't want to say how long because it tells you how old I am, but it's been a while and I'm getting older. However, with age comes experience, so I'm going to pass on some of my wisdom for free. Get my 10 rules of storytelling@shannon caseing.com Just sign up for my newsletter and learn more about storytelling in my 10 rules of storytelling. I send good newsletters too. When I do send them. So go to shannoncasen.com and join. And I have a pretty big email list is thousands of people. But like I've said, I've been doing this for a while now, so why not share some knowledge? All right, Enjoy the show. Welcome to Homemade. I'm Shannon Case. Any book lovers in the audience? I'm guessing that there is. You're listening to a storytelling podcast, so there's a good bet that you're a reader, too. What are you reading right now? What's your favorite book? Find me on social media. I'm Shannoncasen. Let me know what you're reading or what's your favorite. You can learn a lot about a person from the books that they read. If I come into your house and you have books out in the open, I'm going to look at your books and then I'm going to judge you by your books. If I see a lot of financial books, Dave Ramsey, Rich Dad, Susie Orman, you're probably broke. If I see a bunch of love novels, Zane, Jessica, Ian Watkins, Carl Weber. You a freak. This is gonna be a fun visit. I see a bunch of political books. I may not be around when you come out of the other room, but here's a story about my love of books. I love books, but it didn't start that way. Some people are born to read and others learn. I'm a learner. Here's the story. I remember being at my babysitter's house. She wasn't really my babysitter. She was just a neighbor who was a couple of houses down who would watch me when my mom had something to do. Ms. Clinton, I saw her just the other day when I went to my neighborhood to visit. She would make jello with fruit cocktail in it, and I'm not big into jello. I could take it or leave it, but hers was pretty good. I took it. I'd be bored and I'd ask her to go outside and play and she said, no, I'm resting. Go watch tv. She didn't want to let me go and play. I guess she was supposed to be watching me for my mom, but cartoons are off. Ms. Clinton. I'm bored. Well, go read a book or something. Leave me alone. I'm resting, reading this. Boring, Ms. Clinton. But by then she would just ignore me. And I sit in the kitchen and I eat more jello until my mom came to get me. I remember my mom taking me to the library, and it almost felt like a punishment. She'd be skimming through these big stacks of books, and she'd tell me to go get some books so I can bring them home, too. I'd get a few astronomy books because they had pictures of space in them. They reminded me of comic books. Then I beg her to leave. Mom, can we leave? I'm bored. I'm bored. It was boring. Libraries are boring. See, as a kid, I wanted to develop my skills at jumping ramps on my bike, playing basketball, going to Pepper Creek to catch garter snakes. This is before I noticed girls. That happened as a teenager. Then girls would occupy all my thoughts. But up to that point, garter snakes were a big deal. My uncle and I had nine kids, so I had nine cousins, four boys and five girls. Going over their house was pandemonium. It was pranks, races. I went in the house from playing tag, and I saw my older cousin Mary in her room reading the book. And she was like, halfway through it, I'm like, what you doing, Mary? And she looked up over the top of the book with a smirk like, what does it look like? How long it take you to read all that? I think that's like all the books I ever read in. Just what you read so far? Couple of days. She could read a Stephen King novel in a few days. Those books are like this. That's impressive. Aren't you bored? We were playing tag. Don't you want to play? She looked up over the top of her book with that annoyed look of any person who was being disturbed while they're in the middle of reading something good. And she said, shannon, books are boring. And it's okay to do boring things. It's okay to be boring. And she went back to reading, being bored. That was an incredible revelation for me. I remember that moment. It was like a smack in the face. It's okay to be boring. Wow, that's a new concept. Artists time. Trying to be accepted by being the best at sports. Almost killing myself on these ramps on my bmx. I don't even like snakes like that. You mean it's to be boring sometimes. I hope I'm not boring you with this story, but even if I am like my cousin Mary says, it's okay. That revelation sent me on a journey. I still jump ramps on my bmx, but I read Encyclopedia Brown by Donald Sobel. I still played basketball, but I read novellas by Steinbeck, Hemingway and Salinger. I went to college and yeah, I would chase girls. All while I was reading crime fiction by Elmore Leonard and Walter Mosley. Then I graduate college and I become a professional. I don't ride my bike as much anymore. Basketball is an occasional hobby at best. My friends become Facebook friends. My life is meetings, clients and coffee and lunch and beer and it makes me a pig and. And not in the Orwellian sense. Because I'm not reading Orwell. I'm not reading fiction at all. My reading is professional nonfiction. Self Help how to be a better Employee. How to be a better Salesperson. How to be a better leader. Nothing wrong with this kind of reading. But after reading a small library of non fiction self help, I'm molding myself into a cog, a gear, a lever. It's like this after I spent about 7 years reading only New York Times best selling non fiction business Self Help. I'm everyone. And being everyone is what's really boring. Being everyone doesn't make me a better employee, salesperson or leader. Being everyone neglects the world of the real me. Being everyone is boring. I remember I went to Borders. You remember Borders, the bookstore? I picked up my first fiction book in a long time. I was a facility manager at a plumbing wholesale in Chicago. And I looked past all the leadership books, all the sales books, and I picked up Richard Matheson's I Am Legend. And there was a blockbuster movie with Will Smith that was being promoted. And I like Will Smith. I still like Will Smith. He okay with me. And the book was short. I like short books. Not too much boredom. And I bought it on a whim. I read that short book in a week. Then a few months later, I saw the movie. The movie was good, but something was missing. The story from the book was more bleak in my mind. I like Will Smith as an actor, but the character in my mind was more real. The zombies and I am Legend. The movie. Amazing special effects. But my mind had created vivid nightmares rooted in my own fears of a zombie apocalypse. And we're definitely getting a zombie apocalypse. It's definitely coming. Given our current circumstances in the world, it should be upon us any day now. So seriously, I admonish you prepare yourselves. I'm laughing, but I'm serious. This story sparked a creative wick that hasn't stopped burning. And that's reading. Specifically fiction. Fiction is my creative muse. For business, for family, for life. I was in my living room and there was no music, no tv, just me reading a book. And my daughter walks in and she plops on the couch, what you doing? What does it look like? Aren't you bored, dad? And I tell her, like my cousin Mary told me, I'm not bored, but even if I was, it's okay to do boring things. And I changed it up a little bit. I said, doing boring things help you never become a boring person. It's okay to be boring. She's older now and she loves reading, just like me. She's born just like her dad, but as you know, I know. And now she knows it's okay to be born. I'm always interested in new fiction to read. I love crime fiction, but I read anything. Like I like Elmer Leonard, Walter Mosley, ken Bruin, Ed McBain, Richard Stark. But I read anything. So if you have any good suggestions on books, crime fiction or otherwise, shoot me a note or or leave it in the comments, let me know. And thank everyone for listening. Appreciate you. Thank you for listening. Shannon Kazin's Homemade Stories is proud to be supported by the Friends of Homemade Stories. I want to thank everyone who listens, enjoys and supports the stories. To my friends, Ramones, I appreciate the Cash app. Thanks for discovering me on the Moth and then coming over to Homemade as well. Thanks to Thomas on the Cash app. I appreciate you Brett T. In Denver for joining the Patreon. More stories are on the Patreon and I'm teaching storytelling on the [e-mail] backslash Shannon Casen thanks to Jennifer D. In Dublin, California for joining the Patreon. Evan D. In Ann Arbor, joining the Patreon. My best friends, Tony D. I appreciate you on the Patreon. Adam W. You've been on the Patreon for a long time. I appreciate you, Adam and my play cousins, Robin, Ian. You always go get appreciated. I appreciate you big time. And Cynthia L. In El Paso, Texas always does it. Big Homemade is a friend funded podcast. Visit patreon.com backslash Shannon Casein or $sign Shannon Casein. If you want to hit the Cash app just go to Direct Route. I like the Direct Route too. This episode was produced at home by me, Shannon Case. Subscribe to Shannon Casen on YouTube. The story is also available on YouTube right now where you can see see me tell the same story. Consider supporting the [e-mail] shannoncasin or cash app $sign Shannon Casein be a friend of the stories. And for more information on workshops and speaking engagements, go to shannoncasin.com the intro and outro music is produced by echo Finch. Visit echofinch.com to learn more and come back soon for more and more stories. I got a system set up now so you go look out for a lot more of these. I. I just needed the system. I got a system now, so I'll talk to you soon. Now that's homemade.