It hit me when I read that in a story by Tim Denning

My mom once said to me “You’re the normal child” out of the three children in my family.

Do I feel normal? No. I don’t think I’m normal. Everyone thinks oneself is not normal.

What is normal anyway?

I’m questioning if normal even exists because every person is different and extraordinary.

Society tells us what is normal based on the rules of society.

In the town, I grew up in it’s normal to:

• get married at around 25
• get at least 2 children then
• have a steady 9–5 job
• the mother stays at home and maybe does a part-time job at some point
• have a detached family home with a big garden forever
• at least 2 cars to be able to drive to work, to the supermarket,…
• has too much stuff in the basement
• goes on vacation once a year to the south

Society tells people what normal life looks like.

Don’t give a f*ck about society!

It doesn’t sound like a successful and happy life. People are yearning for retirement but some don’t even make it there.

Your life is now and you cannot be 100% sure about the next day so don’t risk it by waiting!

• Do the thing you always wanted to do NOW!
• Publish your story NOW!
• Leave those negative people behind NOW if you want to be positive!
• Leave your boring life behind NOW if you are not happy!

I recommend reading the book “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck” to start giving fewer fcks.

Don’t waste your time caring about what other people think of you! If you are not happy with “the normal life” that society tells you to live then don’t do it!

Tim Denning writes:

Successful people say screw being normal. They realize being the odd one out is ten times better than being a boring slow-cooked froggy in a saucepan full of warm water that’s about to boil.

Are you asking yourself: why do I want to become the odd one?

Because it’s 10x better and easier than being normal because 99% of the population will be your competition if you stay normal. And aren’t you also sick of being normal? It’s so boring.

There are only 1% odd ones so the chance to succeed then is way higher.

To become oddly successful you have to be different than the 99% of normal people.

How?

I’ll show you how:

Find your own path

There is a certain path that society tells you to take:

• School
• University
• Finding a well-paying job
• Finding a husband
• Having kids
• Living in a big mansion you can’t afford
• Consuming stuff you don’t need to impress people you don’t like

The years after I started my second Bachelor’s I felt like a loser. I was older than all the other students. I felt like I don’t belong. But by already having the experience of my first Bachelor’s I was more successful in my second one. I knew that I belonged because I chose to do this and didn’t have to find myself anymore.

I overcame my quarter-life crisis of figuring out what I want to do with my life. And this is what I wanted to do.

Do your life at your own pace and with your own chosen goals and values. You have to live with yourself your whole life. Don’t you want to live it like you want to?

Don’t compare yourself to others!

It’s your unique path and life. As I already said we are all extraordinary. We are all different so you are comparing apples with pears.

Comparing yourself with the body of a fitness trainer on Instagram is a time waste. She is way ahead in her path of becoming fit, and you may just start doing sports.

Also don’t compare yourself to others at your age. Age is just a number.

Sooner or later everyone will find where they belong. You have to be patient and curious about what life gives you.

“If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.”

— Barack Obama

Don’t listen to society and the normal people

You don’t need to marry and have children young. You don’t need to stay in your hometown.

This is your comparing thoughts speaking. I don’t compare myself to the girls from my hometown who are married and are having kids. We don’t have much in common anymore. I live in a big city, studying and working part-time, and currently working on my online side hustle (=freedom).

Society tells them to marry, have kids and get a loan for a big house. I don’t need that and I don’t want that.

If you want that for your life, please do it! But don’t get influenced by it or compare yourself with people who have that. My parents had that life and they are happy. But it also took my dad a few years to figure out that he wants to be self-employed. Quitting a paying job for something uncertain? That is not common. Especially after he already failed twice.

People love to talk about people who are “not normal”. We have a “weird” life because we are self-employed and have an online business. They just don’t get it. It’s beyond their imagination.

Don’t give a f*ck about what other people think or talk about you. It’s your life and your goal is to be happy.

Don’t let your happiness be influenced by what other people are talking about or thinking!

“What other people think of you is not your business. If you start to make that business your business, you will be offended for the rest of your life.”

— Deepak Chopra

Don’t consume things that 99% of people consume

One big step to get away from “being normal” and to become one of the successful 1% is to not consume things and media the other 99% would consume.

News is and will always be negative. Turn them off. Don’t watch them!

The media is influencing consumers to buy as much as possible. “Only if you buy this or that you will be pretty or happy”… The whole industry is based on manipulating you psychologically to consume more.

If you consume too much of things, the media or entertainment you will never become successful like the top 1%.

Instead of consuming become a creator! Get more out of your brain than in. This is how you will create something that makes you happy and successful.

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

— George Bernard Shaw

Do you!

In the end, I want to tell you to be you! Do You!

Make your own decisions! Be independent!

Consume, do, eat, and drink whatever you want, and not based on society’s rules or the media.

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

— Oscar Wilde

Do you want to get more time every day for your important things and join my weekly newsletter?

Get your free copy of my tips about how to boost your productivity!

I’m also on Twitter and LinkedIn, you can join and connect with me! I would love to hear from you!

To continue reading my other articles on Medium, join the membership to read unlimited.

If you are as addicted as I am to reading books, then check out my list of favorite books!

Do you live in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland?

You get 60 days of audiobooks for free on BookBeat! A lot of the books from my recommendation list are included!