Making Lives Simpler - Free email Newsletter

Practical News and Tips
for Living the Life
You Truly Desire

In This Issue:

I. Deal or No Deal

II. Five Quick Tips

III. Their Quotes

IV. References

I. DEAL OR NO DEAL

"Deal or No Deal" is a television game show that began in Australia a couple of years ago and met with great success. It’s been gaining popularity lately in the United States as well. It's a fairly simple premise. From 26 closed brief cases containing amounts of money from one penny up to the top prize of one million dollars, contestants must choose the case they think contains the million dollars. In order to help determine if they have selected the right case, they are required to randomly select the remaining 25 closed cases, one by one, and reveal the individual dollar amounts contained in each case.

Along the way, a mysterious "banker" offers to buy the one brief case they have originally chosen to stop the contestant from continuing any further. They can choose the money in hand or unknown money in the case. That’s when they’re asked, "Deal . . . or No Deal?

The TV Show recently held an open casting call here in San Diego, California. And because I've never done anything like this in the past, I thought it might be fun to apply to be a contestant! I called a friend, told her about it and said "C’mon! Let’s do this!" She, never having done anything like this before either, agreed and we were set!

Going to the casting call meant packing a couple of portable beach chairs, a cooler, some books and being prepared to wait in line for that one in a million chance to get picked for a callback to get picked for another callback to maybe get picked to be on the show! In reality, my real motivation was to simply do something that would be different and a little bit crazy for me! And it was exactly that –plus a lot of fun!

My friend and I arrived 3 hours prior to the scheduled call time and I was pleasantly surprised that the line was still relatively short. I had expected it to stretch for blocks and blocks. Instead, it was less than a half block long and we took our positions in line and were assigned numbers 84 and 85. Rather quickly, however, the line did eventually snake around the block and ended up totaling over 1400 hopefuls!

The fun and craziness began in line by making friends with my new "line buddies." It is amazing what brings people from all walks of life together. I spent 3 hours with my new friends learning how one woman gave up her kidney for her husband, how to look and act like the most excited group when the camera's were panning the line, and best of all, getting instructions on how to play gin rummy while we waited. As I enjoyed my line buddies’ company, I did wonder how often we actually just stop to smile at a person next to us in any of the many lines we stand in each week?

Two of my line buddies were dressed in San Diego Football Charger team jerseys. I remember questioning if I might be overdressed in my "nice" cord slacks and "tasteful" sweater. They told me they picked the jerseys instead of their "nicer clothes" because the wanted to "look like they needed the money!" Hmmm. How often do we make some sort of quick "judgment" of people around us based on their appearance or behavior? How often do we "strategize" what we are going to wear based on our assumption of what other people will think? I certainly had then!

Around noon, the organizers passed out application questionnaires and all became pretty quiet in line as we filled in our answers. For me, it wasn't about finding the "right" answer – in some cases, it was about finding any answer! The application was pretty detailed and it certainly gave me pause for thought and assessment.

I pondered such questions as, "What was the riskiest thing I've every done? Did I have a 'lucky' story? What would my friends say were my worst habits? (Ok that was easy!) What was the most interesting job I've ever held? What's something about me that people don't know by just looking at me?"

Interesting questions, I must admit, and I soon determined this application wasn't going to be easy to complete. I had to dig way back in my past. I realized that it had been awhile since I’d done anything different, fun, interesting, daring or otherwise memorable. Most of the more recent memories all seemed pretty tame and "normal." When was the last time I challenged what I would consider the "ordinary" for me?

Normal and ordinary aren't necessarily bad things. I've spent a lot of years shedding the should do's, have to do's, must do's and creating a great calm and peaceful life. I wouldn't call it uninteresting at all; I truly enjoy walks on the beach, golf, swimming, reading, hanging out with my husband and more. However, stepping outside my comfort or ordinary zone wouldn't be a bad thing either, I thought. I believe that stepping outside actually helps us to be more spontaneous, go with the flow, let go of control, have more patience, and can actually lead to even greater connectedness and calmness.

One of the questions I was asked was, "would I be upset if my friend got on the show and I didn't?" I honestly answered, "No" and I could tell the producer didn't believe me. Maybe I should have been a bit more complete in my answer. Maybe ten, twelve years ago, I quite possibly would have said "Yeah, you bet!" But for this day, I got to spend 6 hours laughing, talking, and enjoying meeting great people whom I would have never met otherwise.

It turned out that we did act just interesting and crazy enough because we got called back for round two! Will I get that next callback and actually land on the TV show "Deal of No Deal?" I doubt it as my phone hasn't rung since then!

So, have I spent more time making "line buddies" since that day? Yes. Have I looked for more interesting, out of my ordinary, fun, crazy things to do? Yes again! In fact since then, I volunteered to drive some of the World’s Greatest Golf Professionals as they finished their round at the 18th hole to the driving range or the putting area at this year’s Buick Invitational Golf Tournament!

Fun? Yes! And it was a chance to do something different, even crazy, and to continue to challenge the ordinary in me!

Warmly,

Linda

II. FIVE QUICK TIPS

1. Decide what challenges the ordinary in you? What is your "baseline" and what would take you just a bit out of your comfort zone while still sounding like fun? Make a decision to try some activities that cross over from your normal zone.

2. There are probably lots of local opportunities to try interesting, fun and different activities. Scout your local paper for upcoming events. Check on-line resources. And start saying, "Yes," to new and different activities.

3. Check volunteer possibilities. Give back to the community or to others while trying something new and different.

4. Ask friends how they feel about doing something different and out of the ordinary? You might stimulate their thinking and they might come up with something you haven’t!

5. Remember that doing something different, fun and crazy doesn’t have to be radical. If bungee jumping and kayaking isn’t for you, just try visiting a different area, attending a different type of movie or theatrical presentation. Take an art, music, history or computer class. Hike a new trail. Get a limited part time job at a fair, museum or park. The possibilities are endless!

III. THEIR QUOTES

"This is the precious moment, but strangely, sadly, few people know it." - Timothy Ray Miller. Source: How to Want What You Have: Discovering the Magic and Grandeur of Ordinary Existence by Timothy Ray Miller

"Play is our brain's favorite way of learning." - Diane Ackerman. Source: Deep Play by Diane Ackerman

"The butterfly counts not months but moments and has time enough." - Rabindranath Tagore. Source: How to Want What You Have: Discovering the Magic and Grandeur of Ordinary Existence by Timothy Ray Miller

"I pray you... Your play needs no excuse. Never excuse." - William Shakespeare. Source: Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach

IV. REFERENCES

"Are We Having Fun Yet?: Wry Slices of Life"
by Tim Smith
From the Back Cover: Are We Having Fun Yet? Wry Slices of Life is a collection of humorous essays covering the broad canvas of life, from raising kids to getting older, from taking vacations to planting a garden, from dieting to dealing with the IRS. These slightly skewed views offer a distinctly unique perspective on the many pitfalls, foibles, and follies so common in everyday life.

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
From Amazon.com Editorial Review: "Amy Krouse Rosenthal, one-time Might magazine columnist and self-confessed hater of the segue has written a snappy, random, remarkable memoir--the first of its kind to give readers an honest flaws-n-all perspective of what it's like to be...ordinary. Her delightful memoir is a reminder that life is not always an adventure, but it can be full of sad, silly, and important moments that make it worth living."

To find more references, go to Self-Help Books.

Linda Manassee Buell is a full-time Personal and Business Coach and Consultant through her company Simplify Life.

Linda is the author of the tips booklet, "Simplify Your Life, 101 Ways to Create the Life You Love," the audiotape, "Simplify Your Life, 7 Simple Strategies for Doing What You Love to Do," and the workbook, "Simplify Your Life: A Journey of Personal Discovery," and has published the second edition of her book, "Panic and Anxiety Disorder, 121 Tips, Real-life Advice, Resources & More."

To order your personal copy of any of the above by check or credit card, just click here.

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