The Writer’s Coin

I believe that your outlook and mentality in life play a strong role in life. I think that, especially in specific situations, it’s easier to see this play out.

Last weekend there were a few things I didn’t want to do that I ended up doing.

1) Going shoe shopping with M: Yes, the stereotype is true. It’s a nightmare for guys to go shoe shopping with their girl, no matter how sweet or caring or thoughtful said girl is. And mine is very all of the above.

2) Going to a wedding: I didn’t know the people getting married all that well, it was a Sunday, and I was tired.

3) Going to Brunch with a bunch of people: This actually I wasn’t so down on, I just didn’t feel like being social at the time.

This is all over the course of one weekend, so the possibility of an outright tantrum is always there. But I went anyway. For a few reasons: I knew it was the right thing to do and deep down I knew that the part of me that said “I don’t wanna go!” was very immature. So I just decided I would go to the wedding and have a good time, enjoy myself (and the free food and drinks, which were great), go support M in her quest for the shoes she really needed, and hang out with a group of people for lunch.

I think that, if any of these would have happened on its own, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But all together, compressed into one weekend—well, it has the potential of “getting to me.”

Like I said I took it all in stride and went with a positive outlook. What happened? I met some fascinating people, learned about some incredible places in the world from them, met someone who works for Leo Burnett, and came up with some good ad ideas (the shoe shopping, no less).

I hear a lot about people (especially guys) getting angry in these types of situations and acting out like a child. Guys: I understand. But if you’re going to go, get something out of it. Make it something useful for you. Be selfish if that’s what it takes for you to get through the experience and enjoy yourself.
Sometimes doing the “right” thing or being a “nice” guy isn’t easy. And sometimes you have to find selfish ways of getting through them.

Tags: optimism, outlook, positivity