Life throws us curveballs and opportunities and turns ordinary into extraordinary stories of triumph. Here are 5 funny and inspiring stories of embracing our weirdness, taking chances, staying positive, optimizing downtime and outsmarting ourselves. From accidental marathon wins to reverse psychology diets, these stories will show you that success, humor and wisdom can be found in the most unlikely of places.
The Procrastinator’s Win
Sarah was the queen of procrastination. Her desk was a monument to unfinished tasks and her to-do list was longer than a CVS receipt. One day her boss assigned her a big project with an impossible deadline – tomorrow morning.
Panicked, Sarah decided to go full-on procrastination. She spent the first hour reorganizing her pens, the second hour creating a color coded system for her sticky notes and the third hour perfecting her coffee to creamer ratio.
As the clock struck midnight Sarah realized she had procrastinated on procrastinating. In a frenzy of productivity she blasted through the project fueled by caffeine and the thrill of the deadline. To her surprise she finished with time to spare and produced the best work of her career.
The next morning her boss was so impressed he promoted her on the spot. Her new title? Chief Productivity Officer.
Moral: Embracing your weirdness can lead to unexpected success. Just don’t do it too often.
The Accidental Marathon Winner
Mike was a couch potato. His idea of exercise was walking to the fridge during commercial breaks. One Sunday morning he reluctantly agreed to go to a local marathon to cheer on his friend.
Still half asleep Mike stumbled out of his house in his PJs and slippers. In his foggy state he took a wrong turn and found himself in a sea of spandex. Before he knew it the gun went off and Mike was swept along with the pack of runners.
Lost and disoriented Mike just kept moving. His slippers flapped, his PJs flapped and his bed head created excellent aerodynamics. Spectators cheered assuming he was in costume.
To everyone’s surprise, including Mike’s, he crossed the finish line first. The combination of adrenaline, confusion and dumb luck had won the day. As reporters swarmed him Mike said, “Does anyone know where I can get a breakfast burrito?”
Moral: Sometimes life’s greatest achievements come when you least expect them. Always be ready to run with the opportunities that come your way – even in your PJs.
The Optimist’s Traffic Jam
Lisa was an eternal optimist stuck in a sea of pessimistic commuters. One morning she found herself in the worst traffic jam of her life. While other drivers were honking and cursing Lisa saw an opportunity.
She started an impromptu car karaoke contest with the cars around her. Soon dozens of drivers were singing along to “Don’t Stop Believin’” in joyful if off-key harmony.
Next Lisa started a chain of kindness and paid for the car behind her at the drive through. The chain continued for hours and broke the local record for most pay it forward purchases.
As the traffic continued Lisa organized a multi car game of charades, taught an entire lane of drivers sign language and even helped two CEOs stuck in adjacent cars negotiate a business deal.
By the time traffic moved Lisa had made 50 new friends, had a job offer and was voted “Traffic Jam President” by the other drivers. She arrived at work 4 hours late but with enough good karma to last a lifetime.
Moral: A positive attitude can turn any obstacle into an opportunity. When life gives you a traffic jam make a block party.
The Overachiever’s Nap
Emily was the ultimate overachiever. She could juggle ten tasks while reciting the periodic table backwards. Sleep was her arch nemesis, a necessary evil that stole precious productive hours from her day.
One afternoon after her fifth espresso shot Emily’s coworkers staged an intervention. They forced her to take a 15 minute power nap and locked her in the break room. Determined to excel even at resting Emily approached her nap with the same intensity she applied to her work projects.
She optimized her sleep position for maximum efficiency, calculated the perfect REM cycle and even drafted a dream itinerary. As she drifted off Emily’s overachieving brain went into overdrive.
In what felt like seconds Emily had a full 8 hours of deep restorative sleep. She solved world hunger, composed a symphony and mentally reorganized her entire life. When her alarm buzzed 15 minutes later she woke up feeling more refreshed than ever.
To everyone’s surprise Emily had somehow overachieved at napping. She returned to her desk with a new appreciation for rest and a revolutionary “power nap” technique that soon spread throughout the corporate world.
Moral: Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is rest. Even relaxation can benefit from a little optimization.
The Reverse Psychology Diet
Tom had tried every diet under the sun but his waistline remained unchanged. Frustrated he decided to try an unconventional approach: reverse psychology.
He cleared his pantry of all healthy food and filled it with chips, cookies and all manner of junk food. He then banned himself from eating vegetables and fruits and insisted he could only eat unhealthy snacks.
At first Tom loved his “mandatory” junk food diet. But as the days went by a strange thing happened. He found himself looking longingly at his neighbor’s garden. A jogger eating an apple made him feel rebellious.
Two weeks into the experiment Tom cracked. In the dead of night he snuck out to a 24 hour supermarket and bought armfuls of vegetables. Back home he devoured a giant salad feeling very naughty.
From that point on Tom couldn’t stop “cheating” on his junk food diet. He’d sneak carrots into the movies and hide kale smoothies in opaque containers. Six months later he was a health food junkie and still maintaining the charade of his junk food diet.
Moral: Sometimes you have to trick your mind into thinking it’s in rebellion. Forbidden fruit (or veggies) is the sweetest.
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