Why we should never be normal
The world has become crystal clear to me of recent and I could not be more happy.
We all make choices every single day of our life, and often we don't think enough about the impact of those choices and what they mean to future opportunities that may lie ahead.
I've been back in Melbourne for a week and it has been an eye-opener for so many reasons and this journey continues to help me better understand who I am and what I want to be in the future.
We all make choices every single day of our life, and often we don't think enough about the impact of those choices and what they mean to future opportunities that may lie ahead.
I've been back in Melbourne for a week and it has been an eye-opener for so many reasons and this journey continues to help me better understand who I am and what I want to be in the future.
A few years back, I made a decision to expand Marketing Eye internationally. There were many reasons for that but namely because I believed in the brand and its value to the market and ability to scale. The second reason that only one person ever brought me to account on, was that I was bored. My life was "amazing" by anyone's standards; travelling the world, meeting people, having exciting adventures and in general really 'having it all' - at least by most people's standards.
But I am not most people. I don't wake up in the morning not sure what I am going to do, nor do I not take every single opportunity in front of me and give it a go.
I show the same passion I have in business, in life. So much so that I wish I was a little less passionate sometimes and a little more neutral to some situations. In the past few years, I have been madly in love, heart broken, sacrificed myself for something that I believed in and completely and utterly done things I would not have done in any other situation. At the same time, I have been brutally honest and laid my heart on my sleeve. I have had unbelievable highs where in moments I have felt I could not ever be more happy, but like anything in life, I have also experienced the lows.
Business does mirror your personal life. When you are blissfully happy, you tend to be more open minded and productive in the work place. Somehow you make better decisions and you create opportunities. People want to do business with you and be around you because you are "happy" and the energy that that brings off is contagious or at least we hope so.
I have slapped myself over the wrist so many times because I have wished that I could be "normal" and have a normal day at work and a normal private life. I have looked deeply into those around me and studied like you would doing a PHD, how people work and play and finally I have decided that not being normal is ok. What isn't ok is if we don't adhere to our personal values in everything we do whether its work or our personal lives. Every person has an agenda both areas and its exhausting working out different people's agendas.
In the workplace, deciding whether someone who comes to work for you is just doing it as a stepping stone to another job, or so they get a salary, or because they are passionate about making a difference to the small businesses we work with - is always a challenge.
When it comes to your personal life it's even more real. My family and friends are amazing and every single day I thank god for the fact that they are in my life.
I live in a bubble and there is good and bad that comes from that. If everyone is walking one way, it is important to walk the other - not just because you want to stand out, but because who knows what may be there that no-one else is ever going to see.
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comments ( 4 )
Theda
06 Oct 2014Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful article. Many thanks for
Replysupplying this information.
Fredi
28 Aug 2014Reading this made me reflect on my journey of accepting and finding myself as a person living outside the norm. And by that I am literally talking about my journey to travel and life in different places.
ReplyGrowing up with my down to earth and normal family caused some issues with trying to fit in and adapt my values to the ones of other people made me miserable and unhappy. I love my family very much and I appreciate every member for who they are, however I had to come to realize that they might not always do the same.
Generally speaking, I try to be open for change, try out new things, be spontaneous, a bit crazy and pick my own direction and not the way everyone else choses.
So I decided to pack my bags and leave Germany after I graduated from high school to find myself. MI moved to Canada and it made me realize that traveling alone and being open to different cultures, people and customs is my key to growth and development. For me, finding and accepting myself came along with traveling and being outside my comfort zone.
Being own my own, meeting a variety of different people and following my instincts made me realize that happiness comes with accepting who you are and embracing your uniqueness.
Travelling also made me realize that there is not always ‘one normal’ that we can be judged by. I believe that there are universal values that define a normal and successful life such as a good career, honesty, hard work and family kinship. However, having lived in Germany, Canada, Holland and now Australia makes me realize that every culture has a different perception of how to behave normal and what defines having a normal life.
I for myself accepted that the best plan in life is to follow your passion and beliefs. General values and goals on where you want to be is good and fully committing to these. My lesson learned from the blog entry and my experience is that self- acceptance and passion is the key to happiness.
After all, who wants to be normal if you can be extraordinary?
Akshay Damle
25 Aug 2014Very good read.
ReplyAtlanta Managed Services
23 Aug 2014Marvelous, what a weblog it is! This blog provides helpful facts
Replyto us, keep it up.