10 Things To Do On Black Friday And Cyber Monday Rather Than Camp Outside Best Buy
I like camping. There’s a sense of adventure with it. There’s also a time and place for it. Camping outside a store, hours or days in advance isn’t the time or the place. Particularly when there are far better things to be doing.
For those that studied a little bit of economics it’s about opportunity cost. I won’t bore you with the detail but essentially it means that by camping outside Best Buy when you could be doing something else, the cost to you is the value of the opportunity that you just missed.
That’s the key part – the opportunity that you just missed. You’re not getting the benefit, the value, of what you could otherwise have been doing. In this modern day, if some of these bargains are really what you want, why not allocate 30 minutes of your time to an online shopping spree and save the important time to get maximum benefit from more valuable things in your life.
Here are 10 beneficial and more valuable things you could be doing:
1. Be Thankful.
Extend the Thanksgiving celebrations from Thursday all the way through the weekend. Millions of people will be doing it. Are they wrong? Sure, I talk a lot about escaping the confines of conformity but sometimes the majority are right. We don’t need to be unconventional for the sake of it. Embrace these relationships and enjoy them.
2. Be Mad.
Embrace your wild side. Do something different. Gather up your family and friends, be honest with them and take them on your journey. Maybe it’s escaping into the foothills on mountain bikes, bungee jumping or dying your hair blue. Share your madness. You might be surprised – your family and friends might not find it all quite as mad as you think.
3. Reach For The Stars.
Take this opportunity, while surrounded by family and friends, to reach for the stars. I talk about this in my new book. Gather their support. Brainstorm with them. Define your dream, however impossible it might be, and start your plan to make your impossible possible.
4. Reflect.
Take this time to reflect. What’s going on in your life? What’s right? What’s wrong? How’s your journey going, are the right people next to you? As you surround yourself with family and friends take this time to harness their love, support and honesty as you ground yourself in where you’ve come from and redefine where you’re going. You’re spending Thanksgiving with them because you care about them and they care about you – let them help you as you reflect and plan your future.
5. Volunteer.
Instead of embracing consumerism, embrace giving. Many of us donate money to charity but not so many donate something that is often far more valuable – our time. Maybe you can head to a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter. Maybe it’s helping your elderly neighbour. Donate. You’ll be helping someone and it’ll make you feel good in the process – a win for all involved.
6. Turkey Pot Pie.
You’ve probably got left over turkey. There’s no point in wasting it. Turkey pot pie is a great solution. But don’t do it solo. Get a few people involved. Make it an activity. Bond.
7. Go Skydiving.
I would say that, I’m a skydiver. If you are too, then you get this. You understand the camaraderie on the dropzone. It’s far more than just the thrill of leaping from a plane. The people there are your friends, even if you only just met them. It’s a community. If you haven’t jumped before then head on down. Take your family and friends. It’s a crazy, insane and intense experience. Don’t look back in years to come wishing you’d done it. Commit, then celebrate.
8. Post Thanksgiving Hiking.
You’ve sat down, eaten a lot, drunk a lot – probably even more than that. Celebrations on Thanksgiving are normally pretty awesome but can be a touch gluttonous too. A lot of calories can be consumed. Get out and about. Go on a hike. Family and friends can all join in. It can be a challenging hike, an easy hike – whatever works for you.
9. Be A Tourist.
If family and friends have travelled to you, take them around town. Show them your area. If you’re the tourists then get out and experience something new. Seen it all before? Really? So many of us don’t see the sights of our own City. Read more about it and how to do it in Elyse’s recent blog post here.
10. Is It Christmas Yet?
Some of you will be completely in the festive mood. Some of you will wondering why we’re talking about Christmas already. Why not embrace it? Use the time with family and friends to do something together and to get ready for your next holiday. Get the Christmas tree up. Start decorating. Finish this holiday looking forward to the next one. Having your next break in sight will make any stress created at work a little easier to manage.
Family And Friends
Stores are opening earlier and earlier in the mad rush to get consumers (you and me) to spend their money. Some are starting their deals on Thanksgiving. Would you really rather be spending this time rushing around a store or with your family and friends? Life, as we know it, is finite. Those physical goods aren’t quite so important as the relationships with the people that are close to you.
Bonus
Here’s a bonus number 11:
11. Perfect Madness.
Escape the confines of conformity, make the impossible possible and redefine the road to success in your life. My book, which launched this week, will steer you on this journey. Both the ebook and paperback version have a Thanksgiving special discount on Amazon which runs until the end of this month. The ebook is only $0.99/£0.77. It contains 38 life lessons across 7 chapters that will help steer you on your journey. Pick it up directly from Amazon.
Main photo by David Haines
