nor·​mal ˈnȯr-məl. 1. a. : conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern : characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine.

Above is the technical definition of the word normal.  We throw this around all the time, and many people say they just want to live a normal life.  But what does that really mean?

In my opinion, normal is the following, based on spending over 50 years on the planet and paying attention to how many people live their lives…

—a job that pays the bills to a large degree, but is a miserable way to spend the majority of your week

—overweight       statistically speaking almost 80% of the US population is overweight (42%)                                                      or obese (37%)

—divorced           upwards of 50% of first marriages in the US end in divorce; 65% of second marriages                                    do the same

—unrealized potential    this one is a little more fuzzy, but think about it…how many people do you                                                        know that had a shot at playing a college sport, or a great business idea, but                                                      never followed through?  Far too many I am guessing.

All of the above are things to think about, and look around to see as well.  If you speak to most older people, they will tell you their regrets lie in the things they didn’t do versus things they chose to do.

My question to you is this:  What kind of life are you living?

Are you going to look back over the course of your life and be proud of what you accomplished?  The chances you took?  The bets on yourself you placed?  Or are you going to have a laundry list of regrets and unfulfilled potential.  I love when David Goggins tells the story of what motivates him, and I’ll paraphrase it:

I dream of dying and going to heaven, meeting my maker.  He pulls up a file and starts to read it to me.  It says that I went through Army Ranger school, Navy SEAL training, (etc.) and then went on to write books and become a motivational speaker.  I looked at him and said “That’s not me, I haven’t done those things”.  And God says to him “I know…why not?  I gave you the power to do these things, and you chose not to…”

That is a powerful thought.  When you find yourself at the end of your days, what are you going to leave behind?  What will you be most proud of?

Are you striving for Normal?  Do you want to spend your life flying under the radar, not making waves, and just barely getting by?  What is it that you want to do in your life?  With your life?  THINK ABOUT IT…

You need to have answers to these questions.  If you go through the motions, you’re gonna blink and be 50 years old, and the window of opportunity has closed on most of the things you likely wanted to do.  Backpacking through Europe at age 55, not likely.  Unless you manage to do very well for yourself financially, have the fund and the time to take a month off and travel to Europe, this is not happening.  You should have done this when you were 22 and fresh out of college.  Want to start a business?  If you didn’t do this by age 35, you may have missed your window.  You would need to have your retirement secured, and most of all your expenses covered for two years before you can safely start a business and give it the necessary time to grow and reach profitability.  While there are no guarantees of ever reaching profit, you are usually guaranteed to not do that in the first six months of starting out.  How will you pay the bills?

I have recently embarked on one of the last things on my current list of endeavors to pursue.  I started my journey to being a paid Public Speaker a few years ago, and I am closing in on achieving that very soon.  Who knows where this will lead; it is trending in the right direction, and I am working hard to get this to continue moving forward.  But enough about me, what are you doing that is moving your goal(s) forward?

Look, you are not gaining more time as life goes on, you get less, every minute.  You have to keep this in mind as you live your life.  I am doing more these days in terms of checking things off of my list.  I have been to NYC, fly fishing in Colorado, hiked in northern AZ and am headed to hike Havasupai soon.  We went to hike the Camino de Santiago trail in Portugal and Spain and have more plans for travel and adventures outside the U.S.  What’s on your list?

Are you gonna to keep going through the motions and just living the life you are getting handed?  If you are just getting started with your adult life, you have less choices as you are likely just beginning the process of getting yourself established financially.  But I am telling you from experience, start laying out the plans for your desired life now.  As you add things like a mortgage, car payment and a spouse and kids, the window of opportunity to do the type of things listed above quickly closes.

Be careful making the statement that your goal is to live a normal life, as the definition of that may not be what you envision.  Personally, my new motto has become: Death Before Average   But that’s just me…make your own choices and live accordingly.

 

As always, I wish you luck in your endeavors.