Break the Script: Creating Lifelong Memories and Clearing Your Mind
When my wife and I first started dating a lot of our time was spent in coffee shops, picnics, and other cheap date spots because I was teaching myself to code and she was in college. One afternoon Grace was driving us to a coffee shop and she pulled into a baseball diamond parking lot. I’m confused, Grace says “I’ll be back in a minute.” Then she walks out of the car, steps up to the plate, swings, and runs around the bases. Grace gets back into the car, is now juiced (no coffee needed for her), and says in an energetic, fun voice “Okay, now I’m ready to get my work done!”. I ask her, 'Do you always do this? “Sometimes, when I’m in a small rut. I like to picture myself hitting a home run and then I go run around the bases. It inspires me to tackle the challenge I’m facing.'”
I hopped out of Dory (her baby blue 07 Toyota Yaris), stepped up to the plate, swung a fake bat, and sprinted around the bases. Man, let me tell you, you can’t help but smile and let all your worries go while running from base to base. Trust me, I didn’t plan this but when you cross home plate, there is something inside that just needs to celebrate.
I got back in Dory and I looked at Grace. “Now, I get it! Let’s go get some work done!”
Here are the 2 Principles I learned that day:
- Importance of Creating Moments
- Reset
Importance of Creating Moments
Ever wonder why some memories stick around for a lifetime and some don’t? The book Power of Moments, discusses many different ways of creating a moment. One part was on creating “Moments of Evaluation”, more specifically he talked about “breaking the script” or a “strategic surprise”.1 That’s what a run around the bases is. Breaking the script is exactly what it sounds like, changing the rhythm of your normal day. Think about your days in school, what teachers do you remember? Either the great ones or the bad ones because I’m sure they did something different. That’s what Grace did that day for me, she broke the script and created a memory that lasts.
Here are some simple examples of how you can break the script in your day to day:
- Go on a spontaneous adventure.
- Do a random act of kindness for someone.
- Celebrate a milestones unconventionally.
Reset
During the workday, you can find me in front of my computer screen. I’m a software engineer so basically I just problem-solve all day. Whenever I get stuck, I usually keep staring at my screen trying small iterations to fix the problem. Then after metaphorically hitting my head against the wall for a couple hours, I realize I need to get away from my computer and go for a walk. Somehow, I usually come up with a solution on the walk or when I sit back down. Why is that? I hit the reset button! I stepped away from my worries about the task and just cleared my head. When I finished running around the bases, my mind was clear and ready to focus. That’s what hitting the reset button does, as Richie Norton puts it, “Every sunset is an opportunity to reset.”
Here are some easy ways to hit the reset button during your day.
- Find a change of scenery.
- Do some physical activity.
- Get away to somewhere quiet and do some journaling.
So what are you waiting for? Grab an imaginary bat and hit a home run today! You will be amazed by how much it can change your life for the better.
And remember: life is like baseball. You can’t always control what pitches are thrown at you, but you can always choose how to react.