Opposite

One of the most basic, yet profound things that i have observed in learning and reading and witnessing successful people in various avenues of life is one thing. every single one of them has gone the opposite direction of everyone around them.

i hope this is a paradigm shift for those who read this (as much as it was for me) as a way to view others, your own personal actions, and how you view this special gift we have called life.

anyone who has done anything great has gone against the grain. has swam against the current. has taken the road less traveled. I think we all inherently know this fundamental concept of why some people end up leaving a legacy on this planet after they leave, while others have been given much and did nothing and are filled with regret.

I’ve recently read about the sins of commission and the sins of omission. The sins of commission are the actions in our lives that we’ve taken that we aren’t proud of and wish we could have a “do over.” The sins of omission are the actions or risks (otherwise known as opportunities) that we should have taken that we simply passed on or were to scared to pursue.

They are the dreams that we have had in our hearts, but never took them seriously enough. There are countless studies and countless accounts of people at the end of their lives, and guess what the common theme is when they reflect upon their existence on this planet? They wish they would have done more with their lives.

They wish they would taken more risks. They wish they would not have lived such a monotonous existence. They wish they would have impacted more people’s lives. They wish they would have lived, loved, and chased dreams. In the words of Mark Batterson, “They would have chased more lions.”

So, if all we have to do is go opposite, let me paint a few scenarios to think about what everyone else does and let your mind think of ways to go opposite. The word “everyone” is used liberally in this exercise…..so don’t take offense sensitive sally.

1) everyone watches TV nightly
2) everyone spends $11.50/day on unhealthy convenience food
3) everyone goes to a standard J.O.B (just over broke)
4) everyone drinks pop
5) everyone uses profanity constantly
6) everyone spent hours on fantasy football this season
7) everyone stopped reading mind-expanding books when they completed school
8) everyone was never taught about finances
9) everyone was taught about management
10) everyone stays up too late
11) everyone is airing their dirty laundry on social media
12) everyone is complaining about their circumstances
13) everyone is overweight
14) everyone doesn’t exercise enough (5 days/week for 30 min, minimum)
15) everyone is in debt
16) everyone is unhappy at their current place of work

Choose to go opposite in at least one category and watch what happens.