Seinfeld is the greatest sitcom of all time.
(Hardly a controversial take there.)
And one of the best episodes is when George decides to ignore his instincts and do the opposite.
(Again, I’m not rattling many cages here.)
Every decision he’s ever made has been a mistake. Therefore, he figures, doing the opposite of his instinct has to be the right choice.
Instead of eating tuna on toast and a coffee, he has chicken salad on rye with tea.
Instead of lying to a beautiful woman to impress her, he admits he’s unemployed. Charmed by his honesty, she goes out with him and sets him up with a job interview.
Instead of sucking up to his would-be boss, George goes on a (justified) rant about how said boss has failed the company. George gets the job.
His instinct is to be selfish, deceitful and cowardly. Just like the rest of us. Doing the opposite makes him stand out.
Can you imagine if everyone did the opposite of their instincts while on social media?
What if instead of getting angry, you stayed calm.
Instead of assuming the worst about someone based on an out-of-context comment, you assumed the best.
Or instead of believing what you read, you questioned it.
When you’re bored and your instinct is to log on “for a moment”, what if you did anything else instead?
Most utopias aren’t realistic. I reckon that one has a chance.
And it’s not just utopias that are easier than they seem. Assuming the best of others? Most of you are woeful at that. I’ve seen how you conduct yourselves. The speed at which you leap to conclusions puts Olympic gymnasts to shame.
Assuming the best of others is more accurate. Most folks have good reasons for what they do. They certainly see themselves as the hero (or innocent victim) of their story, so seeing them like that shows you how they see the world.
That doesn’t mean you have to believe their stories.
Or tolerate bad behaviour, even when you understand the good intention behind it.
But it helps you understand other people.
And the peace of mind it brings is phenomenal. It frees you to ignore, or maybe pity, folks who’d otherwise get your heart raging.
I don’t know. I think plenty of folks out there ae addicted to feeling outraged. They’d hate Your Story Isn’t About You, then. Even the name would put them off.
That’s by design. I thought long about a name that would repel them.
But if you’re strong enough to handle the idea that others can think differently without them being morons?
Well, I’d say you’d get a lot out of reading, rereading and applying Your Story Isn’t About You.
You can find the link in the signature blocks of my emails.
Or you can read more about it here: