The cat (Felis catus), also known as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from other felines and felids, is a small carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin and household pests. It has been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years and is currently the most popular pet in the world.- Wikipedia.

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Whatever your personal feelings for our fluffy feline friends one thing is clear; They are undoubtably the undefeated champions of being lazy and making it look good, possibly even respectable.

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The Lack of Wiggle Room in Our Culture

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We live in a culture today where unfortunately the general consensus seems to be that, should you not be moving forward and upwards on an almost hourly basis, then you are obviously floundering and will soon be circling the plug-hole as life’s opportunities pass you by. An interesting concept to be fair, but it doesn’t really leave a lot of wiggle room, and I for one love a bit of wiggle room from time to time.

There’s the story of which I am sure you are familiar. The story of which I speak revolves around the conversation a successful businessman has with a local fisherman he mets while on holiday.

The fisherman is resting and enjoying the early afternoon sun. The business man inquires as to why the man is resting this early in the day, to which the fisherman replies contentedly that he has caught enough fish for his family and his neighbor and thus need not fish any more. He will rest a while and then go back to his beautiful wife and spend time with his neighbor. The businessman is astonished and replies to the man, “but you can do so much more. I myself am very successful in my business, let me tell you, if you were to go back out now you could catch a lot more fish”. “And why would I want to do that” the man replies. “You could sell the fish” the business man answers, “and with the proceeds hire more men to catch more fish” “And why would I want to do that” the fisherman presses. “Well, so that you can catch and sell even more fish and make even more money and buy another boat, even an entire fleet of boats. “What would be the benefits of these boats?” the fisherman replies. “Well, by working hard like this for 10 years you could earn enough money to retire happily.” “And what would I do then when I have worked hard and retired? “Well thats simple” chuckles the businessman “You can laze around on sunny afternoons, go home to your family and spend time with the neighbours.
The fisherman then looks at the businessman, looks at the sun, tips his hat and goes back to sleep.

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Sometimes we need to rethink why we do things and not forget that enjoying the journey is just as big a part as making the journey.

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Making Doing Nothing Look Good

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If you have ever had the privilege/nightmare of owning a cat, or at least of observing one during the day, you will no doubt be aware that they tend to do one thing and one thing only; and that is Sleep. I often find our cats lazing around on everything from the inside of a cardboard box, the step of the stairs, outside in the sun or down by the radiator, always with the grin of utter contentment stretched wide across their face. They truly are the undisputed champions of doing nothing.

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It is worth remembering that life is not always about productivity and moving forward.

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There are times when it calls for us just to kick up the legs, sit back, close our eyes and simply enjoy the fact that we are doing absolutely nothing and then will probably rest afterwards.

Now this comes easier to some than others, so lets have a look at a quick few pointers that the cat can teach us about being lazy.

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3 Pointers for Successful Laziness

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1. Your in it for the long run:

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Observe the cat lying by the fire, she has absolutely no plans of moving. She is not thinking that she will rest for 45 minutes and then move to the garden for an hour and then possibly back upstairs. Enjoying the heat and the moment is the only thing that is going through her mind at that point; living in the moment, everything else can wait. This is a more difficult skill for us as humans to learn but it is worth developing. The knack of just enjoying the moment and not planning the next.

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2. Be absolutely unapologetic:

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If you have ever sneaked up on a cat resting or stretching and accused it of being lazy, which I have on many occasions because it makes me feel better, the first thing that you will notice is that it is completely unapologetic about its habits. There’s no excuses or aims of looking busy, it will simply enjoy being stroked, smile a little wider and then roll over and drift back off to sleep . There is a stigma that we as humans attach with being slob like and not doing anything; in some small unspoken way, we look down on the person who happens to be “being lazy” in our eyes. As a daily habit this may be true, but as a once every so often thing it is actually very good for your general well being.

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3. This is not a 24/7 thing

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Cats are not always lazy. At night the come alive and this is at not point more evident then when hunting. They are focused on the task at hand when it matters and they develop their skill constantly. There are times when we need to be active and there are times when we can relax. Remember that both have their place and that both are necessary to live life to the full.

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