Today I’m typing from the airport instead of the homestead, which means I’m about as far from my comfort zone as a chicken in a swimming pool, reflecting on my contrarian thinking, embodying a contrarian mindset.
But you know what?
Sometimes being yanked out of your usual routine gives you the clearest perspective on life. And this morning, as I navigated the absolute circus that is modern air travel, one thought kept bouncing around my brain like a pinball:
Figure out what everyone is doing and then do the opposite with a mindset that’s truly contrarian.
This little nugget of wisdom served me mighty fine at the airport today, let me tell you:
- If you want to find a parking space quicker than a hiccup, figure out which garages people choose first (usually the middle ones) then mosey on over to the structures on the outer edges. While everyone else is circling like vultures, you’re already parked and walking.
- If you want the cleanest bathroom stall, skip the middle ones that everyone gravitates toward and pick either the first or the last. Trust me on this one, folks.
- If you want the fastest security line, don’t just plop yourself in the first one you see near the check-in counters. Walk your behind about five minutes further and you’ll find lines with half the people and twice the speed.
I get a real kick out of finding patterns like this with a mindset truly contrarian. And you know what? Human herds remind me an awful lot of my cattle herd back home.
We both prefer the path of least resistance. We’re both more comfortable traveling in groups.
This desire to fit in, to not rock the boat, to not stick out like a sore thumb, and to stay within the safety of the herd is apparently hardwired into us deeper than tick on a hound dog.
BUT… have you ever noticed that the people we admire most throughout history were the exact opposite of that?
We celebrate the weirdos, the big thinkers, the brave explorers, the inventors, the challengers of the status quo, the rebels, the revolutionaries, the people who dared to park in the outer garages (okay, maybe not that last one), but then we do everything in our power to stay smack dab in the middle of the herd.
It’s fascinating as all get-out.
Yet, the best adventures are never found within the pack.
Of course, this applies to way more than some silly airport shenanigans
Am I oversimplifying things? Probably more than a Sunday sermon.
This approach embodies a contrarian mindset truly.
Here’s what I want you to chew on today:
- Where in your life have you been assuming you had to fall in line with the herd like a good little sheep?
- What would happen if you took the road less travelled? Or better yet, ditched the proven path entirely and went off-roading through the backwoods instead?
- What if the very thing everyone says you “can’t do” or “shouldn’t do” is exactly what you need to be doing?
The truth is, exciting things are out there waiting for us, friends.
Because let me tell you something…normal ain’t working for most folks. Normal is following the crowd straight off a cliff.
But weird?
Living this contrarian life, -Nichole
P.S.
