Don’t Let This Phrase Keep You Down: “Don’t Be Stupid”

We often let those three words stop us from trying and achieving, “Don’t Be Stupid”.

Sure it keeps us safe but I entered my 30′s with no police record, no embarrassing pictures to be found on the internet, so scars, no near-death experiences, and really no stories to tell.

The movie “Along Came Polly” encapsulates many of the risk-averse calculators. At some point in my 20′s I realized all of the cool stories I told happened to other people. But golly if I wasn’t really smart and mature – maybe even smug.

I wanted my own stories but I had missed my youth where it was more forgivable to be a dumbass. That left me wondering (calculating) if it was too late. At some point I started questioning if I was being so smart was actually dumb. Each experience leads you to learn and, hopefully, able to handle more of life’s ups and downs. I also realized I respected the people who pushed the limits more than the people who were like me, boring and sitting on safe edges of life. It’s safe but it isn’t living.

I am now a recovering risk-aversive and have some stories. One involves Vegas, some involve Mexico (where I never thought I would ever go due to my fear of foreign prisons), and others involve spontaneity which is not easy to calculate, and I am happier because of it.

If the above video isn’t enough to push you out of your comfort zone check out the book “Yes Man”. The movie didn’t do it justice.

Getting A Shape

No plan?  No goal?  No direction?  Below is the difference between life by design and just being.

Choose what you want to be and start today.

Rethinking Motivation

This video explains why incentives work to improve production and when it doesn’t. Creativity often comes out of thin air. It seems that the bonus interferes with creativity.