Being Normal
Is that what you want?
“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal”
This is a quote I had (still do?) hanging on my bedroom wall when I was a teenager. I don’t think I ever read anything from Coelho, but the words comically resonated with me at that time; a 16-year-old going to high school Mon-Fri and living the most average life you can imagine.
Over a decade later, I still think seeking normalcy is digging a hole to bury yourself in. The difference is now I have some more evidence to know what I’m talking about. Kind of.
And no, I’m not lashing anyone who’s happy with a standard, steady routine - I, myself, enjoy some of my routines very much and think they are key to having an organized life and effectively planning for the future.
Back to my point.
I was raised in a first-world country and sold the idea that anything is possible; you only need to put your head down and work hard enough. Follow the steps to get the rewards. But if we’re all told the same, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of achieving the extraordinary?
We’re imbued with this idea that we need to get good grades, a good job, build a good life for ourselves based on the definition of “good” that society promotes at the time. And because we’re social creatures, we observe what peers are doing and try to bail our survival by reproducing their behavior.
Or shouldn’t we?
I’m sure you’ve heard the classic “growth happens outside of your comfort zone” and variations of such, but it is true. Doing what everyone else is doing - without questioning the reasons behind it or whether it’s the right decision for us - is antagonistic to growth, improvement, or innovation of any sort.
Think about it.
If you want to be financially free, you’ll rarely achieve that through a normal job.
If you want to challenge your assumptions of the world, solely listening to the same narrow group of people won’t take you there.
If you want to solve problems that nobody managed to solve before… well, maybe it’s time to start thinking like nobody has.
Normal gets you where everyone else is. We can’t expect out-of-the-norm outcomes while doing all of the within-the-norm stuff.
Here’s another quote:
“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself” - George Bearnard Shaw.
It’s not about searching for a mold to fit in, but rather having the guts to design a life that represents our true selves. Understanding that if the parameters you’ve been given don’t serve you, you hold the power to come up with new ones.
All it takes is introspection and a tad bit of courage.
In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.
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Until soon,
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