I’m so sick of boring-ness, I’m sick of boring blog posts, boring advertisements, boring conversation and boring people. I loathe myself every time I think I’ve put out a ‘boring’ post on this site… I lie awake thinking “ugh, you just drained someone of a few minutes of their life reading your boring crap” but I digress. Point is boring is out, extraordinary is in and to be extraordinary you mustn’t play it safe because honestly avoiding risks is a terrible way to live.

10 Ways to kick boring’s butt & be extraordinary

Always do the Never.

Seth Godin is a genius, I don’t know if I say this often enough, but it deserves to be said. I was just reading Small is the New Big and he said something that stuck with me… Find the always and then do the opposite if you want to succeed. Example: blogger’s always are concerned with SEO, advertisers always are interrupting us, entrepreneur’s are always trying to get your business. What if you were a blogger who NEVER cared about SEO and just wrote from the heart, what if you NEVER interrupted people and instead complimented their life with ads that pertained directly to them, what if you NEVER did business with anyone except those who sought you out and practically begged you to take their money?

Take a risk every day.

What if you forced yourself to go out on a limb daily ? Like a major limb, what if each day you made a huge stride towards a goal of yours. Like you spent 2 hours a day working on the business you are planning on launching, come rain or shine, regardless if the wife yells or the kids scream – just force yourself to every day not play it safe and go for your unreasonable goal. What if you walked into the offices of the six largest business in your town and asked them if you could have their business EVERY day, never taking no for an answer, coming back again and again – to the point that they threw you out? You’d annoy 5 of them, but one of them, the CEO who had the heart of an innovator would be impressed and would be your first big client.

Play hooky.

I am a firm believer in scrapping college for reading 3 books a week and learning from the school of real life and I suggest people bail on their 9 to 5 jobs and give themselves no option to fail as a BIG motivator to succeed.

Drop everything you don’t love.

Has your boyfriend of five years been keeping you back? Do you “love” him but not LOVE him… drop him. Free yourself of baggage and start soaring to new heights. Dump the job you hate, drop the car you despise (in turn for a bike or something) and kick the relationship that holds you back to the curb with the ole its not you its me routine (or my personal favorite its not me, its you).

If you have an idea that is unrealistic seriously consider it.

When you tell people your ideas or inventions which one do you they respond to most fiercely to? Do that one… even if it is an epic flop like the Segway you know you’ll get some awesome press from it and meet new people along the way. At the very least you can blog about your amazing failures at epicflop.com (domain is FREE people!).

Introduce yourself to everyone.

What would you do if a 5’1″ girl at 100 pounds who looks about 16 came up to you at a bar and said “So, what are you passionate about”? Run, put your hands in the air and say “I didn’t touch her officer” or maybe say go home child… maybe, but if you let me explain I’d tell you that this odd opening line works wonders. I don’t ask people “what do you do” anymore, I ask them what they are passionate about – usually people have to think a minute, then when their brains finally wrap around the fact that I’m A. not a hooker B. truly interested a fount of repressed ideas flow out. I have met the most amazing people this way (with a handful of creeps of course) it may work better if you are a guy – or worse – I’m not sure. But it definitely connects you with the person you just met FAR better than knowing their job title. Also it filters the boring people out fast because they’ll respond with “Umm… I sell Xerox machines??” my cue to signal the check.

What is the status quo?

Find the status quo in whatever field or area of life your in and then twist it up. Say you are a mommy, if the status quo is to wear mommy jeans wear gowns. If you are a sales person and the status quo is to cold call or send boring emails starting with “Dear Mr. X” flip it on it’s head. Imagine a salesman calling you and saying “Listen, I don’t want to be making this call as much as you don’t want to get it” he’d catch my attention there “but I have this amazing service X and it’s going to rock your socks… literally. So let me take you to coffee, you can see my see my super trustworthy face and it will be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.” Don’t know about you but I’d go, if not just to meet the guy ballsy enough to cold call with those lines.

Act as big as you plan to be someday.

When people ask me what I do I NEVER downplay my business, I say I run a global social marketing firm. Why? When I’m running it with two VAs from a coffee shop? Because I do damn it, why down play it or make myself sound littler than I am? Why not take a positive approach and paint the picture of what I am headed for (by the by – I am not saying lie ever, my company is global because I can and do business all over the world & my employees are in another country).

Don’t fall prey to small thinking – ever.

When you think I can’t it is your brain being scared and your butt being lazy. You can do anything you set your mind too – this quip is very true. Look at the Wright brothers, look at the moon landing (don’t even start with me freaky conspiracy theorists) and look at Oprah. If they can do it, can you SERIOUSLY not break free from your 9 to 5 job, make enough money to live the lifestyle you want and enjoy?

No pain no gain.

That saying was popularized by obnoxious guys in spike jackets wearing ‘NO FEAR’ shirts.. ugh… (sorry if you WERE that guy) yet it really rings true. Why isn’t everyone rich? Do you think its because they don’t want to be? Why isn’t everyone free? or why doesn’t everyone live the life of their dreams? It’s because the barrier to entrance for all of those things is HIGH. High barriers = fewer winners. Now this isn’t to say there aren’t short cuts. I don’t believe in the work 80 hours a week till your 60 then retire with a million bucks mindset – that is bunk, why waste the best years of your life slaving away in hopes that the last years of your life will be cozy? I’d rather enjoy every year as it comes and not have a million in the bank when I die. But remember there is PAIN, you must sacrifice, go beyond, think till it hurts, if it was easy EVERYONE would be living an extraordinary life. It isn’t, but what you need ask yourself is do you have the gumption, the grit and the wits to find the simplest path to your goals?

So no more playing it safe, go run in traffic, stick your hands in fire, wrestle near cliffs (metaphorically of course!) and get out there and start living life – so you fail, so you make a fool of yourself, better than blending into the background… in my humble opinion of course.

P.S. For whatever jack ass wrote the comment on my Youtube wall “you just want attention” my answer is NO DUH. Of course I want attention, EVERYONE who posts on Youtube wants attention – why the HECK else would you share something with the world? Alright, I’m done. Xoxo’s to all the rest of you awesome loves!