A one way ticket to India, a mantra from a rockstar and a passion to get unstuck are three things that started one of the biggest creations by award-winning creator Cara Thomas. That was the beginning of SerenFlipity.
Thomas has spent more than 10 years creating for Fortune 100 companies through the What If Innovation, discovering that adventure and playfulness were the keys to success with her clients. Needing some of this herself, Thomas created a deck of cards based on the ideas of behavioral science and real life experience that were separated into three categories: explore, connect and spark.
Wanting to know the secret to these adventure cards, I decided to pick one challenge from each category and write about my experience with them — what I noticed, how people reacted and how it made me feel.
Explore
The first challenge on my list was the Explore Anywhere challenge. My challenge was to “Find a secret local restaurant and surrender yourself to the whim of the chef.” What better local restaurant than Bagel Street Deli on Court Street? Whenever I go to Bagel Street, I always get the same thing, so it was scary to put my meal choice in the hands of the employees.
I asked the woman taking orders to dictate my entire order and to my surprise, she was very excited with the task. I could see the gears working in her brain as she typed in my mystery order. I later heard them call out the surprise bagel, and I was nervous to see what they had chosen.
The bagel was a SouthFork Ranch with Thousand Island Dressing and avocado on asiago with no ranch. This ultimately turned out to be one of the best sandwiches I have ever had from Bagel Street. Not only did I find a new favorite that I never would’ve tried, but I made the employee’s day by letting her do something fun that was out of her normal routine. She actually told me that ordering people’s bagels for them is her favorite thing to do at work. Through the simple act of turning my lunch fate over to someone else, I found a new favorite order and made someone happier.
Connect
The next challenge was Connect with Anyone. My challenge was to “Reach out to three people with whom you’ve lost touch. Let them know why you think they’re awesome and why you’re better for knowing them.” This challenge was the most exciting to me because it gave me an excuse to set aside time and reach out to people who have influenced me.
I reached out to three people: one of my middle school best friends, Emily; one of my childhood theater friends, Max; and my elementary school boyfriend, Marios. This was without a doubt the best challenge of the three. I felt so happy to message these people who had been so important to me. They all responded with messages that expressed how much they love and miss me, and I even made plans with them to meet up over winter break. They all had the same response in common: my message made their week. That feeling of making someone else happy with a random message is the best feeling ever.
Spark
The final challenge was Spark New Ideas. My challenge was to “Wear something unexpected or outside of your usual style today, whether an accessory or a full ensemble.” I have two afternoon classes on Tuesdays, so I thought I would wear an outfit that was out of my comfort zone and see what my classmates thought. I wore an orange romper that sort of looked like an old-timey gas station attendant uniform. I bought it online and had never worn it before.
I was apprehensive about this challenge, mainly because I think people don’t really notice wardrobe changes as much as we’d like to think they do. I figured I would just get the normal reactions from my friends and nothing would change. However, for the sake of trying, I was ready to do it and see what would happen.
The weather was perfect for this outfit, but I was feeling slightly self-conscious because it is outside of my usual style. When I went to get coffee, I got three compliments from the baristas about my cute romper, which was an unexpected great start. When I got to class, my classmates immediately noticed my change in appearance, and told me that I looked so cute and they loved my outfit. This not only made me happy but also amplified my confidence. Looking cute made me feel confident and happy, and it didn’t take any extra time than my normal routine.
The three challenges were the best part of my week. I broke out of my lunch routine, I made three old friends happy and I found that dressing up a little makes me feel significantly more confident. I noticed on the day I did these challenges that I was tremendously happier than other days. Talking to other people, reaching out to old friends and looking nicer than I usually do made me feel more confident and happy. Aside from myself, these challenges also brightened other people’s days. I want to consistently make people feel the way they felt when they got a random message from me or whebn they got to decide what I wanted to eat. Making people happy in turn makes me happy, which makes for a more positive environment all around.
Thomas had it right when she said “Bring serendipity, connection and adventure to your life.” My three challenges really showed me the potential of my happiness and how I can bring happiness to others.
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