Cardio, Double Tap, and Evening Prep
How pre-decisions help when chaos arrives • Character Reference
People Watching explores what it looks like to be a flourishing human through the relationships that shape us. I share conversations from real folks about the role models they’ve found in their everyday lives, and “character references” from historical, fictional, and contemporary folks who shed light on what it looks like to live with purpose in any age.
I couldn’t resist this week’s Character Reference: Columbus from Zombieland. This dude and his rules, I tell you.
In a world overrun by zombies, Columbus survives through a deceptively simple system: pre-decisions. His famous list of rules—‘Cardio,’ ‘Double Tap,’ ‘Beware of Bathrooms’—aren’t about being perfect. They’re about knowing exactly what to do when chaos hits.
What makes Columbus’s approach sustainable? Three things:
Pre-decisions: He decides his responses before the crisis, when he can think clearly.
Simplicity: The rules are memorable and actionable, not elaborate.
Evolution: Rules #1-31 eventually make room for new realities (like Rule #32: Enjoy the little things and Rule #17: from “Don’t be a hero” to “Be a hero”).
One more thing about Columbus’ list: it’s rooted in a clear purpose—to find his parents. Every rule makes sense when you realize that Columbus wants to survive to reunite with his family. And when that purpose expands to include his found family, the rules adapt in response.
This is what tactics like evening prep and project briefs do for our human-sized lives. They’re not about controlling everything—they’re about having clear responses ready when the zombie horde of September arrives. And like Columbus, we can adjust our rules as we learn what actually works.
Who models this for you?
Let’s be hopeful, creative, and wise—together.
Shalom,
