Chic Technique: Opposite Day

Did you ever do Opposite Day as a kid?  I don’t think I did, but I saw it in movies and on tv programmes from time to time and it looked like fun.  Good, silly fun – and don’t we all need more good, silly fun in our life sometimes?

I’ve realised I do Opposite Day as an adult and I think I will make it more of a habit now that I am aware of it.

One of my fears is that I get stuck in a rut.

Singing the same old song.

Being in a rigid routine day after day.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my simple life and can’t imagine myself doing anything that radical, but sometimes it’s nice to shake things up.  Let people – including yourself! – wonder if they really know you at all.

It could be big things and it could be little things.  It could be doing something that is not ‘appropriate’ for your age.  Here’s what I mean:

You can watch Coronation Street (even though you loathed it when your mum watched it when you were young)

You can spray on a Britney Spears perfume and like it (even though you are not 14)

You can look into an at-home weight-lifting routine (having not been to a gym in years)

You can start reading entirely different genres of books

You can have a 180-degree change of opinion on a topic

You can decide that life is short and you’re going to like what you like, doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks

You can be inspired to become a clean eater and be in the best shape of your life (even though you thought your ‘sweet tooth’ was permanent)

You can think about doing something different to your usual and your first thought is ‘but I don’t do that’; then you realise you would like to try

You can feel excited at the wide-open possibility that is the rest of your life

I was going for a brief 20-minute stroll before work today and I could feel the goodness of life and anticipation of what is to come bursting out of my chest.  It was almost a physical feeling.

Yes, we have a big life change coming up – selling our business and leaving the city for the tiny town where I grew up – ‘life in the country’ – but the more I read and learn and inspire myself with my thoughts and questions and listen to what I really want, the happier and more excited by life I become.  It’s a beautiful thing.

Do you ever find yourself feeling constrained by your own ‘this is how I’ve always done it’ thoughts?  I am getting less and less tolerant of restrictiveness in the way I think.

We all know, we’ve been told enough times, that we are capable of pretty much anything; it’s just our thinking that holds us back.  But that dampening voice in our head can be a most powerful thing and I know it can be hard to overcome at times.

It can be done though, and here’s how:

By asking questions of yourself and writing down the answers

By going after what sparks a germ of excitement inside you

By following the breadcrumbs on what makes you happy

By being around people who light you up

Who’s up for Opposite Day then?  What do you think you might do on Opposite Day?

I’d love to hear,

Fiona

PS.  My book ‘A Chic and Simple Christmas’, which was previously only available on Kindle, is now out in Paperback, with a beautiful new cover.  You can order it from the publisher CreateSpace here, or from Amazon here.  CreateSpace is often better value shipping-wise if you don’t have an Amazon in your own country.