How Complacent Are You? Take the Quiz! - Tyler Cowen
Here are a few small steps you can take toward a less complacent life. Pick 3! Social Dynamism Get off of social media for a month. Don’t even announce that you’re doing it. Just do it. Have a civil conversation with someone you typically disagree with on social or political issues. Take the time to figure out what drives them and where their ideas come from. (If you’re single) Ask out a stranger in real life. In case we’ve all forgotten how to do this, walk up to someone at a bar, start a conversation, and go from there. Delete the four most frequently used apps from your phone for a week. Stop listening to music or podcasts while you’re in public and interact with your physical surroundings. Go to lunch with someone in your office from a different department. Go to the movie theater, without looking in advance, and choose a movie that you wouldn’t normally see. Explore a music genre you are not familiar with until you find three songs you really like. Talk to your Uber driver… about something other than Uber. (Bonus) Grocery shop exclusively at a specialty grocery store for a month, such as an Asian food market. Intellectual Dynamism Write an article defending the opposite political view of what you believe. Try to be as convincing as possible! Take an online or evening class that has nothing to do with your career or existing talents. Next time you get upset about a political or social injustice, do something about it. Volunteer, protest, or donate to a cause. Use Google in funny ways. Be creative about what that means. Identify the quirkiest thing about yourself and double down on that trait. Find similarly eccentric people in person or online. Think of a product or service that should exist but doesn’t. Share ideas with friends and family at a minimum and get feedback. Imagine your dream job. Look for it. Apply for it even if you think you aren’t qualified. What’s the worst that could happen? Schedule a conversation with your boss about your future and new opportunities. If you aren’t getting what you think you have earned, ask for it. Judge a book by its cover: use tinder for books or go to a bookstore and pick a book based solely on its cover. Make a decision based on a coin flip. Physical Dynamism Stop using yelp or other go-to restaurant review sites for a month. For that matter, avoid eating at chain restaurants for a month. Start a savings account so you can one day buy or rent the home of your dreams. Or at least have enough money to couch-surf all over the world. Stop using delivery-service apps of all shapes and sizes for a month. Try to get to a location 20 or more min away (as the car drives) without your GPS. Leave your phone at home once a week. Pick a city 50-ish miles away from you. Take a day trip. Park in the middle of town and explore. Make time to travel to new places outside of your comfort zone (Bonus) Pick a city that you’ve never lived in that interests you and apply for a job there