Let's be brave together (daily challenge)

[Dandelion10]

I do need to start talking more because if I talk to authoritative people I break out in a cold sweat and if I talk to regular people, like they might say 'you can come and clean my house for me if you want!' and I say 'that'll be 20 pound an hour please!' and I'll suddenly panic and try get away!

So I need to push myself to accept talking as not a nervy thing.

[pigstar]

I'm in. This is a great idea.

Although...I would feel very weird saying "hello" to random people. If there was a pretext, like asking about something or giving them a compliment or even waiting for a bus, that's one thing, but I'm not sure that many non-SA people just say "hi" to strangers for no reason. Not round here, anyway. Then again, the point is to push us out of our comfort zones a little, right?

Phoning wrong numbers ain't that bad, by the way. I do it by accident often enough - they answer, you just say "sorry, I think I've got the wrong number", then you both end the call and get on with your day.

Maybe we could do some kind of a multiple choice thing? 3 tasks of roughly equal difficulty, choose one to do? Although we'd probably all just choose the one that we'd find easiest. I would. :/

I think I remember an old thread that might be useful here. I'll try and find it.

[pigstar]

Shame attacking exercises

This is copied and pasted from the first post, but there are a few more ideas in the thread. I think the first part is in ascending order of scariness. I'm not sure about all the ideas, but there's some interesting stuff in there:

- Going for a walk outside in a non-crowded area
- Posting on SAUK (or change your mood if you don't want to post yet)
- Deliberately try to smile at cashiers/clerks that you have to deal with
- Posting on a forum that you're interest in.
- Sit in a crowded space like a bar
- Ask for the time
- Ask for directions to some where plausible
- Go to a store and ask where something is.
- If you tend to use self service to avoid person at the till then attempt to use a normal checkout. If you tend to use the regular checkout, then attempt to use the self service option.
- phone somewhere out of hours and leave a message enquiring about services (or, to start with, call up your own mobile so it goes to voicemail and practise leaving a message there)
- Yawn loudly while walking past people
- go to public bar, order water, use toilet and leave.
- Drop change on the floor in front of people.
- Pretend to trip up in a public place
- Go to a gym/club that you're interested.
- Go to a SAUK meetup
- Call up random numbers, ask for a random name and then say wrong number. (I've had people apologised to me for them not being who I ask for )
- put my feet up on the seat in front of a bus or train for the whole journey
- Take a long time to get change out of wallet to pay for something.
- Asking for things on the menu that you know aren't on the menu [Thanks longertripbackhome for this and the next two. I think they'll be useful for me especially pointing our errors in the bill that aren't errors.]
- Saying hi, how are you to work colleagues and then follow on but a current affair/issue.
- Going back onto the same checkout three times in quick succession - monitor their reaction / see if they notice at all
- Pointing out errors on your bill that aren't errors, so eventually they'll realise you're in the wrong
- Go up to a stranger and ask their opinion of something (eg piece of clothing)
- Asking work colleagues to lunch
- Organise a SAUK meetup
- ask clerk his opinion on best seller, did they like it and how many copies sold
- order sandwich and when its ready tell cashier that you've forgotten your wallet.
- Swearing tirade on the phone while walking past someone
- buy something, leave and then walk back and return it immediately because you changed your mind.
- go to store and ask where something is. When they take you to it let them go back and then walk up to them again and ask them where the same thing is
- Ask strangers where something is, while being right outside it.
- ask another customer somewhere if they know the actors in harry met sally or another classic film
- order coffee and then explain you wanted decaf. Do not apologise.
- ask a book clerk for a book for a 1 year old. Ask if they have children, how old they are and what
school they go to and what their favourite colour is.
- Sing while walking past someone
- Call up random numbers. And ask for a random name (but same sex as the person) and when they say I don***8217;t know anyone with that name say... I know its you X. Don***8217;t try that joke again.
- Heckling
- Go up a down escalator
- go to bookstore and ask if they have any books on farting
- buy a DVD, leave go back and return it and say I forgot I don***8217;t have a DVD player.
- Swearing tirade on the phone in a confined place.
- Block something while pretending to be on the phone and move only when someone asks you to.
- go to every man in a crowded table and ask.. are you carl smith?
- goto bookstore and ask if they have the karma sutra or the joy of sex. ask which they recommend.
- ask people for £100.
- go to shop get playboy, but it and ask are there naked men in this magazine. wait for an answer. and then return it.
- Announcing the stops of the train/tube
- go to pharmacist and ask for condoms loudly and then ask is this the tiny weany size?
- Taking a banana out for a walk.
- Go somewhere in fancy dress
- Do karaoke
- Going to speakers' corner and doing a speech

Others:
- Walking past somebody without crossing the road
- Looking at somebody at the supermarket checkout as you say hi and bye
- Going into the tea room at work if there's somebody in it, instead of walking past and going to the toilet when you don't even need to go.
- Coming out of the cubicle in the toilets instead of waiting for silence before you leave and wash your hands
- Complaining about the wrong amount of change in a busy queue when you know its wrong
- Telling your friend about your problems with SA
- smiling at a stranger you like the look of
- Complimenting somebody or their clothing that are unknown to you
- Wearing shorts when its cold outside
- Going to the local shop without shoes (its only a quick run across the road!)
- Dying your hair a different colour than the norm
- Run/Jog down a busy street
- Sing an X-Mas carol to the operator on 100 (might be trickier if its not xmas)
- Say hello to somebody in a different language
- Ask to be let off the penny when buying something

- Read a book on the train that you feel others might judge negatively
- have an instant message conversation with someone
- post your photo on SAUK