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This article is a write-up about keeping your general patterns of behavior in mind when thinking about the attention your individual acts may garner.
The need to remain discreet in day-to-day tasks isn’t always rooted in nefarious soil. Attention brings with it negativity notwithstanding which acts garner that attention.
An individual’s capacity to efficiently complete daily tasks – for instance – can be negatively impacted by garnering positive attention whilst performing those acts.
In passing by your old friend’s town on the way to more important business, you may wrestle with the decision of whether you should let your friend know that you’ll be passing by.
From the surface, such a decision seems rather inconspicuous – any social being would consider catching up with an old friend. With added factors such as time constraints however, your publication of a deviation from your daily patterns can, in fact, hurt your goals in an otherwise positive situational act.
Attention Seems More Attracted to Deviation Than to Consistent Virtue
The relationship between patterns and acts which deviate from those patterns doesn’t stop at potentially bringing unintended negativity. The relationship can result in positive outcomes too.
For instance, commanding attention becomes easier if you learn to utilize the contrast between your patterns and acts.
To most, the reformed citizen is more interesting than one who has been ideally formed from birth. An honest analysis of the patterns by which you live life will arm you to deviate from them – which is an advantage if used right. Only by knowing how’d you typically act in a situation are you capable of surprising anyone thoroughly.
Your best surprises, however, will come during the times you surprise yourself. Such surprises are the best jokes, and the kindest acts. They’re the acts which deviate from your regular patterns in the most drastic ways; surprising even yourself in the process.
The realization that your most memorable and impactful acts in this world have greatly deviated from your regular patterns of living is a burdensome one. As you seek to further make an impact on the world around you, you’ll come to realize that unpredictability is foundational in that pursuit. Deviation and contrast trump consistency when used well. Those who’ve mastered unpredictability have befriended that notion.
Those Skilled in Stealth, Study Habits and Pay No Mind to Acts
The study of unpredictability touches on the topic of stealth at some point or another. Stealthiness not only focuses on how predictable your patterns of behavior are, but also seeks to exploit others’ patterns of behavior in an effort to go unnoticed.
A simple example of pattern exploitation is the barrier that NPCs in stealth-centered video games act as. Security guards walk a certain path, completing a certain series of tasks in a certain order. Such games would challenge the player’s ability to study patterns in the effort to not get caught.
Stealth in real life is a little bit more complicated, but is too rooted in pattern recognition and analysis.
To the stealthy, unpredictability of those in the environment around them would mean bad news. They’d be unable to properly navigate toward their goals, as the factors at play would be uncontrollable. In all likelihood, an unpredictable audience is bound to uncover the individual with stealthy goals in mind.
Those skilled in stealth thereby go deeper; they look for patterns when there seemingly aren’t any. They realize that an attempt at unpredictability can very well become predictable. They thereby analyze the patterns that plague their social world with great detail.
Your habits will give you away if your single acts deviate from them, and your single acts will give you away should they not align with past patterns.
The necessity to either thoroughly randomize, or consolidate your patterned behavior with your single, segmented actions is a precursor to remaining stealthy, unpredictable, and safe.