"Never mind What You Normally Would Do"

 

It's funny in life the small things we pick up from unexpected places which motivate us. One such thing that I wanted to share with you guys today comes from the Quentin Tarantino movie, Reservoir Dogs. If you've never seen it, it's a great film, a little twisted for some, but entertaining. There's a scene in the movie where all the characters are talking about their attitudes toward tipping waitresses. Steve Buscemi goes on this long rant about how he flat out does not tip ever. At the end of the dissertation, the mob boss Joe pipes up in this gruff voice that has forever stuck in my head, "NEVER MIND WHAT YOU NORMALLY WOULD DO...today you're gonna tip...throw in your dollar like everybody else!"

These words, never mind what you normally would do, for some reason stuck with me and still strike me regularly. I hear Joe's voice in my head A LOT. How profound. Think about all the repetitive things we do in our lives simply because it is "normally" the thing we would do in a given situation. Why is that? Comfort? Predictable results? Why the heck not do something different today? Why not do the exact opposite of what you "normally would do" and see what happens? Maybe it turns out better than you're expecting?

To build on this, I've got to rope in the wisdom of George Costanza from Seinfeld. There is an episode where George has just become so fed up with his life that he resolves to do the complete, 180 degree opposite of everything he normally does in his life. It's hilarious watching as the episode unfolds. His life suddenly becomes WORLDS better as a result of doing the opposite of his norm.

Think about your life for a moment. What are your normal things that you do? What is it that you do in your life "just because"? The next time you come across one of these situations and you are thinking to yourself, gee, I would normally do XYZ here, I challenge you to hear Joe's words in your head: NEVER MIND WHAT YOU NORMALLY WOULD DO! Try something different. Do the COMPLETE opposite of what you normally find yourself doing. If you normally order vanilla, order chocolate today. If you normally go to the bar on a Saturday night, go to the coffee shop instead. If you normally wouldn't approach that hot girl/guy shopping at Target, then go up and talk to them today.

Why not? What are you missing out on in life just by doing your normal? What will you NEVER discover in this world by only doing your normal?

Life is too short. I challenge you. Remember what Joe Said.

"NEVER MIND WHAT YOU NORMALLY WOULD DO!"

Today you do something different...the results might surprise you.