I'm not going to lie -- this assignment was for a social psychology course. But I took this lesson to heart and got a lot out of living a mindful, authentic day.
It was an interesting day to say the least. I realized I mindlessly conformed to the littlest things. To combat that habit, I walked in the grass instead of sidewalk, was honest about my music taste and danced around the kitchen while cooking even though my roommates probably judged me. Two of the key conscious choices I made to go against the grain were to wear bright red lipstick to class and be energetic and personal while handing out flyers.
I doubted anyone would notice I changed my makeup, but people commented on it. There were no bad reactions. This reinforced the idea that nonconformity is not necessarily a social faux pas, but can lead to positive outcomes. During promotion, people definitely noticed I was acting outside of the norm when I approached them with a flyer and a quirky pitch.
I did not wait for them or just offer a pithy marketing sentence, I interacted with them. When faced with this lapse in schema, people tended towards the two polar responses—aversion and engagement. When I broke the courteous routine, the door opened for people to react more authentically and either vehemently turned it down or stayed and asked a couple questions. It was interesting to gauge people’s reactions.
It was difficult risking social rejection because who wants to be labeled as weird? That was an obstacle. But the opportunity to act in a way aligned with my true desires for a day was a liberating feeling that gave me a lot of perspective on the world.
Yes, I take my reputation and future career seriously. But I do not want to find success by losing valuable parts of who I am. As I gained greater highs from following my own beat, the tasks became increasingly easier.
In the future, I will make sure my actions do not jeopardize my reputation as competent or sane, but I won’t stress over the minute details such as hairstyles or slang when forming friendships. I also will try and act in accordance with my inner will (while not infringing on other’s rights) because that total lack of cognitive dissonance was exhilarating. I felt authentic and creative. Conformity chains creativity.
While this exercise is not sustainable in large doses, I will definitely be more mindful of where my motivations truly lie; am I trying to please others needlessly, or living an authentic life?
