Flex_ Do Something Different - Ben [35]
Open-minded? Try being more single-minded.
Don’t consult others when you know what needs to be done.
Speak up for the underdog or refuse to listen to gossip.
Campaign for something you feel strongly about.
Stop being your parents’ ‘child’.
Scrutinise your views – are they your own?
Ask yourself, ‘What do I really believe in?’
Drop a custom that’s been handed down from the past.
Do not be swayed by the popular view.
If you know how you feel, do not listen to the opinion of others.
Practise saying, ‘I don’t mind if others don’t agree with me.’
The introverted-extroverted dimension
Introverted? Try being more extroverted.
Contribute to a discussion when you wouldn’t normally express your opinion. Speak up and make yourself heard.
Make the first move in a friendship situation, e.g. plan a party or organise a get-together with friends.
Get out of your shell, e.g. talk to somebody new or somebody you meet at an event.
Draw a little more attention to yourself; introduce yourself/tell a joke.
Create an online identity and ask people to become fans.
Have an ‘open house’ for all your neighbours at home.
Find somewhere where you can shout and then shout the first word that comes into your head as loud as you can.
Say hello to someone you’ve never said hello to before.
Practise telling a funny story; embellish it for effect.
Go commando (i.e. don’t wear any pants) or wear crazy socks or a hat.
Start a conversation with three strangers today.
Practise saying, ‘Are we having fun?’ (but don’t be too annoying!)
Find out the names of people you see regularly but never really speak to (shopkeepers, till workers, people at the train station).
Organise a night out at a karaoke bar; put your name down first to sing.
Ask yourself, ‘What would my most outgoing friend do?’
Extroverted? Experiment with being more introverted.
Listen more and speak less.
Spend some time alone; enjoy your own company.
Say no to a social invitation.
Let yourself fade into the background a bit more.
Don’t interrupt other people or finish their sentences.
Keep your opinions to yourself.
Get together with a small group of special friends.
Stop yourself from talking on three occasions during the day.
Describe your innermost feelings in a poem but don’t share it.
Listen to a conversation you’re not involved in and repeat one sentence to yourself three times.
Imagine how you’d feel if you were shipwrecked alone on an island.
Practise saying, ‘I would like to be alone for a while.’
Spend time alone at home without the TV or radio on.
Stay off Facebook; resist the temptation to scrutinise other people’s lives for a while.
The conventional-unconventional dimension
Conventional? Try being more unconventional.
Look at situations from a completely different angle, e.g. as a teenager, a foreigner or an alien might.
Wear something different and daring.
Take something in your life that’s very ordinary and change it, e.g. your voicemail message, choice of food or décor.
Look at what others are doing and be different.
Buy yourself a treat – from a toy shop.
Voice a radical opinion.
Create an online identity for your pet and voice its opinions.
Add a few rogue ingredients to a standard recipe.
Take a photo of yourself looking as unconventional as you can manage.
Say what your name is, how old you are and where you live in a foreign accent. Record it and play it back, if you can. Do it again in a different accent.
Swear out loud.
Take an alternative route to work or if possible work different hours for a week.
Wave at a stranger on a passing bus.
Stand in front of the mirror and spend two minutes talking gibberish.
Pull a funny face whenever you pass a mirror or window.
Unconventional? Try being more conventional.
Make the more conventional choice rather than having to be different.
Consider the more traditional alternative.
Conform and take the most common option.
Agree with someone even if you don’t share their view.
Do something that’s really traditional.
Observe an old local custom and share