Why You Should No Longer Care About Being Normal

I still hear people telling me from time to time that I should be more normal and I laugh every time because I think to myself, what is normal anyway? We are all different and diversity is what makes this world so beautiful. If we all start wearing the same clothes, thinking, talking and behaving in the exact same way, life will no longer be as interesting as it is now. Why would anyone want to live in a world like that, why would anyone waste their time and energy in trying as hard as possible to be NORMAL?

“Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second-rate version of someone else.” ~Judy Garland

Diversity is such an incredible thing and even though we can’t all be friends with one another that doesn’t mean we can’t accept and embrace our differences since this is what makes us all unique. Life is beautiful because of the diversity present all around us and not because of the many people who are constantly trying to act as normal as possible just so they won’t be noticed, judged and criticized by others.

So here is why you should no longer care about being normal:

1. To be normal is to be insane.

Think about it. Who in their right minds would walk through life without questioning their own beliefs – beliefs that were handed down to them by their parents, their teachers, and friends mass media, etc.; without questioning their way of thinking – they think at 30, 40, 70 the same way they were thinking when they were 20 years old, not realizing the impact thoughts have on their level of happiness; without questioning their “normal behavior” and without questioning what life is really all about?

“Normal is not something to aspire to, it’s something to get away from.” ~Jodie Foster

2. It takes great courage to be different.

“When will you understand that being normal isn’t necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage.” ~ Aunt Frances in ‘Practical Magic

It takes courage to step outside the norms and be different; it takes courage to say NO to the so-called normal and just embrace your real essence, to embrace who you really are deep down inside and BE YOURSELF without the fear of being judged, labeled and criticized by those around you.

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” ~Dr. Seuss

3. To be normal is the ideal aim of the unsuccessful.

“To be normal is the ideal aim of the unsuccessful.” ~Carl Gustav Jung

Great things can only be achieved by those who let go of the need to label themselves as being normal, by those who have the courage to step away from the crowd and embrace their uniqueness. There’s no need to pretend you’re normal anymore since normal is not necessary something you should aspire to but rather something you need to heal yourself from.

“I sometimes ask myself how it came about that I was the one to develop the theory of relativity. The reason, I think, is that a NORMAL adult never stops to think about problems of space and time. These are things which he has thought about as a child.” ~ Albert Einstein

4. To be different is a real adventure.

Normal people don’t have much fun since they are so busy doing the things normal people do, worrying about the many things normal people worry and stressing about the many things normal people stress about. It’s so liberating to just be who you want to be and live your life according to your own rules and not the rules of other, without hurting anyone in the process of course.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” ~ Hellen Keller

5. Uniqueness requires imagination.

It is quite easy to be normal, everybody can do it but it takes great courage, skills, imagination and creativity to be different from the rest of the world and trust me, the world needs more people like that, the world is thirsty for uniqueness.

“For me, insanity is super sanity. The normal is psychotic. Normal means lack of imagination, lack of creativity.” ~ Jean Dubuffet

~love, Luminita💫

Comments

Luminita D. Saviuc

Luminita is the Founder and Editor in Chief of PurposeFairy.com and also the author of 15 Things You Should Give Up to Be Happy: An Inspiring Guide to Discovering Effortless Joy. For more details check out the 15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy Book Page.

15 Comments

Ellicia Richart

at 8:14 am

I have had such a journey too- as things happen in life more and more you just said the right thing, when I most needed to hear it..
Distance

at 9:24 am

Eversince I used to say in my mind…” Others are laughing at me because I am different….I am laughing at them because they are all the same!” Hahahahahaha
Dawn Jones

at 2:40 pm

I love it all!! I find most people very interesting no matter what we call them. Am I weird? Yes. Am I normal at times? Yes! Do I think outside the box? Yes!

For me, just sitting down with people and getting into who they are is what I find most fascinating about them. I find that people who are just trying to fit in are really scared.

I’m still learning and growing and very grateful for the journey that I’m on. 🙂
Nancy LeB

at 9:05 pm

there is a difference between ‘normal’ and ‘common’. Many of our un normal actions aren’t abnormal – they are just uncommon in the group we are in – look how many people just commented to say that they aren’t normal – but amongst us they are in fact common – make sense? Check out Patti Digh “Life is a Verb” for a much better explaination
Alvin

at 3:51 pm

I think being normal is just being pretensive.
Society makes us all pretend to be normal.
Me, myself, I’ve never been normal, because I hate pretending!
Phaydra

at 2:56 am

This is a great article that I can identify with and totally agree with! I even have a print from Etsy with that exact Helen Keller quote. It was pretty much determined before I was even born by the unique name (first and last) my mom chose for me that I was destined to not be normal or blend in. I’m ok with this now, but as a kid it was much harder to handle.
Inspiring Quotes

at 3:36 am

If you live life fully you can’t be normal. I think people become normal when they are afraid of failure, or their own potential.
I love being not normal 🙂
But I DON’T hate sheep. They’re cute 😉
dzygurl21

at 3:06 am

I spend about 12 hours a day in a corporate world and I’d usually act normal when the bosses are around. Reading your post, item #2 reminds me to not drag myself into fitting in what’s normal. Thank you!
Tiffany

at 11:51 pm

Thank you! I’ve never been ‘normal’ and with a supportive mother I’ve tried to never fault myself for it. It wasn’t until in my 20’s that I was actually attacked verbally by women, who were very threatened by my not being ‘normal’. I love it when you say normal is ‘something you need to heal yourself from’. I very much have experienced that. Thank you for writing with such honesty and giving inspiration to others and reminding us what it’s like to live life to each persons fullest.
EZB Holmes

at 6:59 pm

Normal is dull… I imagined, when I was younger, that I would go out of my way to be eccentric when I was “old”. Now in my mid-fifties, I am oh-so-eccentric without trying in the least!
Judy Krings

at 12:38 pm

I always tease, “I gave up ‘Normal’ for Lent one year and never took it back!'”
Janice

at 11:50 am

I love when people smile and say to me, “you’re not normal”! I smile back and say thank you. I know I’m unique just like everybody else!
Chim Chim

at 9:28 am

I couldn’t agree more on your post.
I’ve always find it difficult to “fit in” & be “normal” like everyone else.
Now, many years later, I realised that Life had a plan for me & I, like every unique individual out there, was meant for greatness(Read:more than being just plain normal).
So to all my fellow unique folks out there, let’s celebrate our unique greatness together!
David J. Singer

at 9:00 am

Dana:
I remember, as a kid, taking pride in the fact that I, and my friends, were never “normal.” I haven’t thought about that in a while and your post is a wonderful approach to the beauty of not being like everyone else.
Excellent! Thanks 🙂
Best regards,
David
Georgi Anne

at 6:13 am

I REALLY can relate to all that you say. I feel as if we are ‘sisters’ in our world of insane normalcy! Thank you for writing my feelings in your, and sometimes, our words.