desert-749692_1280Our society tends to see artists or writers and people who love what they do as “different”. We often label these people as insane or wild exceptions to the “rule” (partly based on whether or not they’re successful).

If you tell a friend or co-worker that you really enjoy your job of balancing the books, the most likely response will be raised eyebrows and a comment like, “you’re weird.” On the other hand, if you say “Ugh, I don’t want to go to work tomorrow!” the response will most likely be “I know, right? Why can’t it be the weekend all the time?” The pattern is so prevalent that most people who love what they do or who strive to make changes try to hide this fact so they don’t get ground down from the constant pressure to fit in or “get a job.”

We have come to think that hating our jobs is a normal part of life. But, is it normal? Or, are those restless desires you have to create things, the wild wind on the rooftops of adventure, the inescapable feeling of a job well done, normal?

It is completely possible to live outside of what society considers normal, but the first step is to refuse to accept the common definitions of normalcy. You can go back to school, learn the violin, quit your stable job, love your stable job, learn to program, paint, stop thinking about retirement and the lottery, or write a novel. But, you have to be brave and you have to ignore the voices that tell you that you’re special or strange. Begin chasing your dreams, breaking old patterns, embracing what you love, daydream, question, and act outside the boundaries of routine and regularity. The so-called “real world” is just a front. Pull back the curtain and you’ll see the libraries are full of runaways writing novels and the highways humming with escapees. Let’s begin to LIVE; to the fullest, together in a world ripe with possibility.

Is this normal?
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