Hi Reader,
My inbox has been flooded with requests for more dad jokes.
I'm no comedian, but I can't help but give the people what they want.
I wanted to tell one about airplanes, but it'd probably go over your head.
Then I thought about my best construction joke, but I'm still working on it.
So I will settle with a question.
The other night I went to a restaurant with my girlfriend.
It had excellent food but no atmosphere.
Can you guess where it was?
The moon!
What I'm learning/thinking about 🧠
The things strangers will say yes to with little context.
It has been a wild week to say the least.
I learned that Whole Foods does not have a Gregory discount on groceries but (some) strangers will let you swim in their pool.
I have completed 6 days of asking strangers for ridiculous things and have been surprised by what people are willing to say yes to.
Below is my favorite story of the week.
_
Standing there in my boardshorts holding my towel, I felt ridiculous.
At the same time, I also felt like a little kid again.
My heart pounded as I channeled my inner 7-year-old.
I reminded myself that nobody would mind if a child asked for a quick swim.
But I haven't been a child since 2001.
I am a 28-year-old man with a magnificent mustache.
The voice in my head was screaming at me that this was a terrible idea.
I was about to run away when suddenly the door opened...
I put on my best smile and said:
"Hi I'm Gregory and I was wondering if I could cannonball in your pool?"
First I was met with silence.
Then, the hint of a smile and a confused laugh.
"Ummm....sure....but why?"
It's inspiring to see what strangers will say yes to with zero context.
Not only did this man say yes, but he filmed me executing a perfect cannonball.
This was day 5 of 100 days of asking strangers for outrageous things.
I am doing this to face my fear of rejection and live a story worth telling.
So far both goals are being hit.
But the best part is the unintended side-effects.
All of the strangers I have made requests to have left our interaction with big smiles on their faces.
This might be the most ridiculous way to make a positive impact, but it's making my palms sweat and bringing a 7-year-old child-like grin to my face.
P.S. You can watch the video of this on my Instagram by clicking here.
Quote of the week 📜
"Excitement is a better motivator than discipline. The people who appear to have an exceptional work ethic or remarkable discipline are often those with a genuine curiosity or interest in that area. The person who smiles is more likely to keep working than the person gritting their teeth."
- James Clear
What I'm reading 📚
The bible of asking strangers for bizarre things.
Rejection Proof by Jia Jiang.
My 100 days of (attempted) rejections were inspired by this book and it's a must-read for anyone looking to live an extraordinary life.
If the thought of making 14 bold requests of strangers across 14 days sounds exciting, join my FREE group challenge I am launching this Friday.
Click the link above to start living a story worth telling and become rejection-proof.
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Sent with lots of love,
Gregory Russell Benedikt
Talk to me: hello@gregoryrussellbenedikt.com
Website: gregoryrussellbenedikt.com
Writing: Medium