Doing It for the Plot

Life is a story, and you, my friend, are the author. Sure, you may feel like your editor (society, your boss, your mother-in-law) is constantly sending back revisions with notes like, “Can you make this more responsible?” or “Why is there so much takeout in this budget?” But at the end of the day, it’s your name on the book cover. So, why not make the story interesting?

A recent trend started by TikToker Serena Kerrigan is called “Doing it for the plot.” The idea is simple: If life is a narrative, do things that make it worth reading. Take risks, make bold choices, and most importantly, stop worrying about what other people think—because, spoiler alert, they’re too busy worrying about themselves.

Let’s be honest: no one wants their life story to read like a user manual for a dishwasher—functional, predictable, and slightly damp with regret. No! We want an adventure novel. A romantic comedy. A high-stakes heist movie where the only thing we’re stealing is joy. That means embracing the chaos, making decisions that would make our future grandchildren lean in and say, “You did WHAT?”

And yet, so many of us spend our precious time hoarding status, chasing money, and desperately trying to look important. But if we’re truly the authors of our story, shouldn’t we be spending our time on things that actually make us happy? After all, time is the one currency we will never get back. You can always earn more money, but you can’t refund wasted years like an impulse-buy air fryer.

So, instead of obsessing over “money, power, and status,” let’s pivot to “less money, less power, less status,” and choose experiences over things, freedom over image, and spontaneity over caution.

You want to move to a new city where you know absolutely no one? Do it for the plot.
You want to sign up for an improv class even though you have the stage presence of a scared possum? Do it for the plot.

You want to dye your hair pink, buy a one-way ticket to Portugal, and start a podcast about cheese? You know what to do.

The best stories aren’t the ones where everything goes according to plan. They’re the ones with unexpected twists, dramatic missteps, and triumphant comebacks. Nobody ever finishes a book and says, “Wow, that character played it safe. Five stars!” No, we root for the people who take the leap, even when they land in a puddle.

So go ahead. Take that risk. Make that memory. Spend your time wisely—because in the end, the goal isn’t to have the most money, the most power, or the most followers. The goal is to have the best story. And that, my friends, is entirely in your hands.