Breaking away from the 'norm'

Welcome to 'Not Normal November'

This month we are going to celebrate everything that is unique and 'not normal'.  Who wants to be normal anyway?  Besides, there's no such thing as normal so why should we want to label ourselves as such.  


Reasons not to be 'normal'

It's boring ... safe.  It's easy to be a sheep and follow the crowd but it takes courage and determination to find your own way in life.

It's subjective.  What's considered normal for one person may be deemed as completely off the wall in someone else's eyes.

We all have unique characteristics and it would be extremely boring if we were all the same.  Don't conform to 'normality', let your true uniqueness shine through.

Labels are what you stick on envelopes, not people.

You won't change things by being normal, you have to step outside your comfort zone.

I started to think about this subject when I was having a light hearted conversation with someone and was telling them about my running escapades.  The response I got was "you're not normal you, are you"?  It was meant as a joke and we were laughing about it.  But the fact is, my crazy running escapades ARE normal to me.  


The dictionary definition of normal is:

"Conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected"

Hardly sets the world alight does it?  When I was younger, being 'normal' was the be all and end all for me.  I didn't want to stand out from the crowd, I did everything I could to blend in.  Don't get me wrong, I had the utmost admiration for those who did but I didn't have the confidence myself.

As I've got older and various life events have made an impact on me, I realise that being normal is playing it safe and that if we want to get anywhere in life, we have to step outside that box.

I've just returned from a 12 mile run and along the way I did the following things to amuse myself, some of which I'd hardly call normal.
  • Sang along to my 'Energy' playlist (harder going up hill I must admit!), one of my favourites being 'Let's Go Crazy' by Prince, especially the guitar bit at the end when I always have to do a little jump and swing of my arm!
  • Said 'good morning' to absolutely everyone I ran past.  Have you noticed how some people try and avoid eye contact?  What's all that about?  I'm only saying 'good morning'.  Anyway, there was no escape today.
  • Stood at the top of the massive hill I ran up with my arms aloft and shouted at the top of my voice 'YEEESSSS'!  
  • Half danced, half ran to 'Right Here, Right Now' by Fat Boy Slim.
What I'm trying to get across is that you don't have the follow the crowd when it comes to doing things.  There are some runners who will have been out this morning, barely lifted their head from the pavement, never spoke a word to anyone they passed and were checking their watch every five minutes.  That's normal for them but for me running means something completely different.

Your homework this week is to NOT BE NORMAL!!  Don't be a sheep.


#not-normal-november


 

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