Opposite Day
When I was a kid, my family used to celebrate Opposite Day.
We'd eat dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.
That's the full extent of the festivities. 😐
But to my 7-year-old brain, burgers for breakfast and french toast for dinner was LIVING! 🤩
It rocked my world because breakfast and dinner followed a fairly standard operating procedure.
And then Opposite Day happened, and the world was alive with possibility. My day kicked off with french fries and rule-breaking. Syrup by candlelight tasted sweeter...and a little dangerous.
I was a different person on Opposite Day because I saw the world through an entirely different lens.
The tiniest shifts in perspective lead to new discoveries. That's why, in late 2018, I decided to Opposite Day myself for a full year.
I began intentionally approaching things differently than I normally would.
In just two months of practicing this, major things I’ve struggled with for years have shifted for the better. All because I did the opposite.
I said yes to opportunities I normally would have passed up. I turned down opportunities I previously would have taken. I saw new opportunities. Were they truly new? Or had I just not seen them because of my standard operating procedure?
Of course, doing the opposite has its drawbacks.
One of my shifts was to do less planning and more go-with-the-flowing.
I'm in the process of moving. I don't have furniture. The few things I do own are still in storage.
But it's also cool because despite not having a mattress, I'm totally not stressed.
Old me would be a basket case. I'd have checklists, timetables, spreadsheets, and a spreadsheet to track the spreadsheets. Opposite me has an air mattress, the basic necessities, and peace of mind that the details will sort themselves out.
Opposite me is focused on the fresh perspective a new place will bring. Old me would have been blinded by the fog of logistics.
Whether doing the opposite "works out" or not, it's pretty darn fun. My go-with-the-flow pendulum probably swung too far in the opposite direction. But I'd have missed out on some extremely helpful insights if I'd stuck with the same old, same old.
So, enough about me. Let's focus on you.
Where are you ready to do the opposite?
Challenge yourself to do the thing you wouldn't normally do.
Let me know how it goes.
Author Bio:
Before becoming a coach, Caroline worked in management consulting and financial services. She's made it her mission to help people grow, contribute, and get wherever they want to go.
She’s also a tennis fanatic, aspiring Minimalist, FIRE (Financial Independence and Retire Early) enthusiast, and Aloha Spirit seeker 🤙. She loves to share stories from her unconventional life and career focused on freedom, creativity, fun, health, family, and community. If she can do it, you can, too.
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