Pulling a Costanza and Going Opposite

In my favorite Seinfeld episode, George comments that every instinct he has ever had has been wrong.  Jerry convinces him that, if every instinct he has is wrong, then the opposite must be right. (You know the episode. If not, you can find the key scene here)

With this new "opposite" approach to life, George meets a beautiful woman by announcing that he's unemployed and lives with his parents.  It continues with him insulting George Steinbrenner and getting a great job with the New York Yankees.  And so on.

What a great concept. But does it really work?

Today, I weigh my life's successes and failures and wonder if it's time to pull a Costanza.  Perhaps, I've been Costanza-ing all along and didn't even know it.

Professionally, I trust my creative instincts, which have usually turned out pretty well.  My career choices have been solid, if not perfect.  I always encourage younger producers to make decisions in the moment and keep moving ahead.  Live with it; if it's really that bad, you can always go back and adjust (well, usually). 

On the other hand, despite my decisiveness, my creative choices are not always right.  What's more, I've let some fantastic opportunities slip away.  I mean, fantastic.  Many a night I've wondered, What if...?

Personally, my life's full of hits and misses; I think the jury will always be out on that one.  I figure, if I've made the right choices 51% of the time, I'm ahead of the game.

So, would I be better off by following my gut or doing the opposite?   My gut is to pull a Costanza.  But only on the decisions that turn out wrong.

But seriously... The allure of knowing that anything is certain - whether it's my gut or the opposite - is fool's gold.

With so many uncertainties in life, and seemingly more each day, I can't worry about whether my decision is right or wrong.  There's simply no way to know.  I can only rely on experience, sensibilities and clear thinking.

And since my instinct is pull a Costanza on my Costanza, the answer is clear:  I will continue to trust my gut. 

Back to "What if...?"

OK, I've danced around my big Costanza Moment.that still keeps me up at night.  Here's what happened:

During the dotcom boom, I was EPing a Cable/Internet show.  We were creating two original hours each week, the group was very tight, and life was good.  

Then word came down that the show might be folding due to funding.  No worries, I was reassured that there would always be a place for me within the parent company.

Serendipitously, I received a call from a friend/client who was leaving his great job in cable news and was looking for his own replacement.  If I was interested, the job was mine.  It was a corporate position that paid very well, but I'd have to give up on my venture and move to another town.

For both logical and subjective reasons, I passed.  About a month later, the show shut down, and I returned to Promo World.  To this day, I occasionally check to see if the person who took the job is still there.  He is.

Since then, I've rationalized my decision ad nauseum.  If only I'd ignored my gut and pulled a Costanza...

Now I realize - everybody's had a Costanza Moment and I'd really like to hear yours.

Serenity now!
-Ed
edrothshow@gmail.com

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