Last Week I Asked a Stranger to Cannonball in His Swimming Pool

publishedabout 1 month ago
2 min read

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

Connect: Instagram & LinkedIn

Gregory Russell Benedikt

I am on a mission to have 100 conversations with people about their biggest dreams. Book your free Dream Session at https://bit.ly/3zMgtyD. If that's too much right now, drop your email below to start loving your Monday mornings.

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