on August 1, 2018
When I started this business more than 10 years ago, I worked out of my home office. At the time, I lived at the top of a hill, right on the edge of a nice little neighborhood.
I remember as I would sip my morning coffee, I would often catch myself staring out the window contemplating something I read in the morning paper, or taking a few minutes to think through the best way to tackle my day’s to-do list. I’d watch the garbage truck go by on Wednesday mornings, I’d see kids flying off the bus at the end of the school day, and I usually obliged my dog by looking out the window when she would let out a warning bark that alerted me when another dog was incoming from 100 yards out.
One morning, I saw two young boys playing around on the sidewalk. All of a sudden they crouched down, and both went flying down the hill at mock speed on their “wheelie” shoes.
My first thought? “OHMIGOD, they’re going to KILL themselves!”
Of course they didn’t, and they clearly didn’t share my panicked enthusiasm as evidenced by the whooping, squealing, and high-fives that drifted up from the bottom of the hill.
But, it got me wondering. Whatever happened to the days when my first reaction wasn’t a high-pitched, panicked freak-out? When did I stop thinking, “That looks like BIG fun! Let me try!”
I understand that as we get older, we shed pieces of our youthful invincibility every time we survive yet another mistake, or when we realize a risk wasn’t worth it, or when we lose a battle against a difficult challenge. Our response is usually to vow, “Holy crap, I’ll never do that again!”
But, I think it’s important to try to hold onto at least a little piece of that for as long as possible.
I like to call it Educated Mischief.
It’s that inner part in all of us that longs to tap into our wisdom and experiences simply so we can buck the system, take a chance, and put all the faith we can muster into ourselves … and come out ahead. It’s taking our years of life experiences – both good and bad — and putting them to use in ways that make traditional conformists cluck their tongues and shake their heads. It gives a voice to our inner defiant child who wants nothing more than to say, “Oh yeah?! Watch me.”
I think anyone who dares to ignore conformity has the capacity for Educated Mischief. In fact, I think it rears its head in all of us at least once in awhile. It’s the career-ladder-climber who dares to strike out and work for herself. It’s the Mom who doesn’t take any crap when it comes to defending her kids. It’s the guy who musters up the courage to stand up to his bully boss. It’s the brilliant, high-powered, suit-wearing executive whose absolute favorite part of the day is evening … when she moonlights as a dog-walker.
It’s the kid who channels months of wheeling around in the driveway just to fly down a hill.
Don’t be afraid to partake in a little educated mischief. Embrace your inner rebel and let it out to play once in awhile, and see where it leads you. You might be surprised what adventures you find when you trust a little unconventional wisdom.