DON’T BE NORMAL—BE NATURAL

“Perhaps one of the greatest inhibiting factors to accessing our authentic voice lies in the notion that most of us want to be perceived as normal. Be forewarned, being normal comes with a litany of limitations that muffle the authentic voice, one of which is mediocrity. ‘Normal’ people seldom “live out loud” because it tends to disturb those who are stuck in the same box they are in. It may seem socially appropriate to be normal, but if we are not mindful, we can lose our uniqueness in normalcy. The word normal comes from the root word norm, which is defined as ‘standard, usual, the rule; typical, average, medium, unexceptional, par for the course, or expected.’ In other words, to strive to be normal means to conform to a preexisting pattern wherein a common denominator established by countless strangers determine the quality and content of your life.

Your unique, authentic voice will never be found in the norm. The antithesis of being normal is being natural. The word natural comes from the Latin word naturalis, meaning ‘existing in or formed by nature.’ When we internalize and actualize the true nature of our being, which is our oneness with life, it will seamlessly externalize in our lives naturally—in, through, and as our authentic voice. Something very liberating happens when we cease trying to be normal and begin to align with our true nature—we set ourselves free to be who we are and, equally important, who we were uniquely born to be.”

~ Excerpt from, Your (Re)Defining Moments - Becoming Who You Were Born to Be