Why try so hard to be NORMAL?

Dear Friend,

The other day I was speaking to someone I’m coaching, and she was lamenting the fact that she feels like a misfit at times, and if only she could feel more normal, she would be happier.

It got me thinking…

Why do we try so hard to be normal?
What is normal, really?
Who decides what is normal?
And, why is being normal an aspiration in a world
where what is normal can be sub-optimal in many ways?

It is normal to spend too much time on social media.
It is normal to not focus on your health.
It is normal to overspend, and be in debt.

It is not normal to wake-up at the crack of dawn to train your mind, but I do.
It is not normal to train your body every day, but I do.
It is not normal to live a minimalist life, but I do.

As Alan Cohen writes in Spirit meets Business,

“What if being a misfit is not a defect, but a key to your success?…

Maybe what you thought was wrong with you is what’s right with you.

Just because you are out of the mainstream doesn’t disqualify you from vast achievement.

You are in your own stream.

World change agents do not apologize for their eccentricities or try to hide them.

Idiosyncrasies come with the package.

So just get on with your creations and make your contribution regardless of any oddness your personality has picked up along the way.

Don’t wait until you are normal before you claim greatness.

Normality and genius are rare bedfellows.”

So, embrace your weirdness
Embrace your eccentricities
Embrace your oddness
Your gifts could be hidden among them!

Your non-conformity to what is NORMAL could be the very thing that leads you down a path to greater fulfilment.

Write back and tell me what is something “weird” or “not normal” about you that you may actually want to celebrate?

As always please pass this on to anyone who could benefit from these weekly nuggets so they can subscribe to my newsletter.

Warmly,
Bhavna Toor
Chief Mindfulness Officer
Shenomics