Normal is Overrated

Peggy Noonan commented that people running for President often try to come across as normal. She points out that wanting to be the leader of the free world isn’t really normal, and it isn’t the aspiration nor ability of most people. But she sees that grand pursuit as noble and good. “Besides,” she says, “normal is overrated.” The post Normal is Overrated appeared first on Mark Sanborn Keynote Leadership Speaker.

LEADERSHIP Oct 21, 2024 Add to Reading List

Why do we seem obsessed with normal?

Being normal, going back to normal, wanting what is normal.

Normal is synonymous with standard or common, which might be why Carl Jung said, “To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.”

Peggy Noonan commented that people running for President often try to come across as normal. She points out that wanting to be the leader of the free world isn’t really normal, and it isn’t the aspiration nor ability of most people. But she sees that grand pursuit as noble and good.

“Besides,” she says, “normal is overrated.”

Which begs the question, what is normal?

Normal is what we get used to, whether at home or at work. Normal is easy. Normal is familiar.

But is it always desirable?

I skied for years and met many visitors on the slopes here in Colorado. They almost always loved the mountain experience and often expressed regret to be going back home to normal. When I’ve vacationed at the beach I hear similar sentiments. After congratulating someone on an award they’ll sometimes talk about how they’ll get back to work when things return to normal.

You can’t ski or splash in the ocean or win awards every day, but what if you tried to replicate that kind of joy and happiness in whatever you found yourself doing each day?

Nobody can live on the mountain tops all the time. It is often said that valleys help us appreciate the mountain top experiences and while that may be true, the problem is that many seems to accept living in the valleys as their permanent residence.

I encourage you to aspire higher. If you want more out of life, go for more. Raise your expectations. Settle up rather than down.

It was Maya Angelou said, “If you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”

In other words, normal is overrated when you can choose to be extraordinary.

Mark Sanborn is an award winning speaker, leadership strategist and Leadership Expert in Residence at High Point University, the Premier Life Skills University which challenges students to “choose to be extraordinary.” He also advises executives and professional speakers on how to speak more powerfully. For more information about his work, visit www.marksanborn.com.