I read this article on the weird habits of 9 very successful business leaders and I thought they would give me some insight on becoming a better leader myself. Nope. Not really. But I found out that Bill Gates rocked in his chair during business meetings, Henry Ford ate sandwiches with weeds from his yard, and Steve Jobs ate one type of food for weeks at a time.
The most helpful takeaway was Mark Parker’s weird habit. This Nike CEO keeps a notebook where he would brainstorm business things on a page and draw sketches on the opposite page. It reportedly keeps his brain balanced. I think there’s something to it!
Today I give you 9 weird habits of single people (aka me) that you might learn something from!
1. Go solo
I’m not the only single person out there who’s used to going solo to movies or the theater or other events. Single or not, don’t be afraid to fly solo if you can’t get your friends to go see that indie band you love or visit the yarn museum. Going solo gives you the opportunity to get to know the amazing you God created. It helps you become more aware of the people around you, find opportunities to meet new people, or help someone out. Oh and by the way, I would totally go to a yarn museum with you.
2. Travel spontaneously
Being single means having more freedom to travel for business or leisure because there’s less schedule to work out and coordinate. Adopt an attitude of spontaneity and say yes to the next opportunity to travel or ask your company to send you to a conference. If you’re not single, there are more logistics to work out, but try working them out. You never know how God will pave the way for you to go.
3. Buy your own flowers
Single people know the importance of taking care of ourselves because who else will do it for us? This includes emotional and mental health. If I want a little beauty in my life, I buy a bouquet of flowers. Don’t wait for someone to take care of you, and don’t forget to take care of yourself. Buy yourself some flowers. Take a bubble bath. Get a mani-pedi. Book a one night stay at a hotel.
4. Take random classes
I’ve learned to pursue my interests as a single person. I’ve taken dance lessons on my own because I wanted to. I took up knitting. I went to a Meet-Up. Don’t be afraid to pursue your interests if nobody wants to pursue it with you. When you take that cooking class or show up to a Samba class by yourself, you will be surrounded with other people with the same interest as you! Also, your spouse might not want to take that stand-up comedy class with you, but invite him to an open mic night and he’ll enjoy the benefits of what you learned!
5. Share tables
I don’t like being that person who takes up a group table by myself, so I end up sharing tables at coffee shops or the food courts of smaller tables are unavailable. It’s an interesting experience! You never know who you’d meet and what you’d learn.
6. Have a do over
I do do-overs all the time. Do over dinner because the first one wasn’t good. Do over exercise because yoga gave me more muscle strains than flexibility. Do over at a museum exhibit because the first time I went through it, there was a group of loud people and I didn’t get to reflect on the art. Don’t rush life. It’s okay to have a do-over. The second time around might turn out to be more meaningful.
7. Dance like nobody’s watching
Because nobody’s usually watching, we single ladies dance like Beyoncé. Alright, we might have two left feet and look silly, but we don’t care. Brush off those insecurities and just have fun.
8. DIY like a boss
Since nobody’s around and we’ve got to do something, single people have learned how to DIY like a boss. And it’s two-fold. First, we learn and figure it out like how a boss expertly knows what she’s doing. Then boom! Ikea table put together. Second, if we can’t figure it out, we hire someone…like a boss hires and delegates tasks. So boom! Things packed and ready to move (’cause who’s got time for that?). If you find yourself with a to-do list and nobody around to help, DIY like a boss. Become an expert or hire one.
9. Have alone time
Just because you’re single doesn’t mean you always have alone time or that your time is always alone time. Single people may not be surrounded by a spouse or kids, but people ask for or demand our time. Work. Family. Friends. The ministry. Our time is spent, we are pulled in different directions, we have to juggle responsibilities, and we get tired. Many people assume single people have all the time in the world and we become the go-to people for favors or volunteer positions. That’s how I can differentiate alone time from the rest of my time. Alone time is when I focus on myself, to grow personally, to refresh, and re-energize. Learn how to find and value your alone time.
Here’s that article of 9 weird habits of highly successful business leaders. Do you have weird habits we can learn from?
One thought on “9 Weird Habits of Singles You Can Learn From”