If this guy is your friend, hopefully he’ll accept you just as you are. Plus, the sort of behaviour going on in his workplace sounds sadly destructive — it’s bad enough when that’s seen as “normal” for kids and teens, let alone for adults.

I will start of with “Normality is over-rated”

A little true story for you.

I have helped a friend of mine out in his business and he has always said that my wife and I are not “normal” and that we would always stand out in the way we act.

I asked my friend define acting normal within your workplace. He said “Look at myself and the others how we act what we say and what we do”

So I spend a day sitting back and observing what they classed as being normal.
Dissing each other (which means liking each other
putting the other down when their work was good (which means a compliment
Being loud and vocal (a language I will not repeat here

So when I came back the next day I spend the day doing the above (not feeling comfortable doing this but kept to being “normal” ) at the end of the day my mate said “What is up with you you are acting ab-normal”

So I asked him what is normal for me? He explained that what normal is for me he finds strange and weird and when I acted normal in his way it was not normal so to end this as I started.

Normality is over-rated

I’m really interested to see what the current under-18s grow up into. They’re the first generation to be brought up online (I still remember my first Yahoo search, aged 12) and in a world where a lot of the old barriers simply aren’t there.

It’ll also be interesting to see whether our generation — the 20s and 30s — bring about a change in the way we teach our own children. Paul and I are planning to homeschool (actually, unschool, but “homeschool” is easier for people to grasp), and I’m seeing a growing trend of this amongst bloggers who I know (Naomi Dunford, Pace and Kyeli Smith, Dave Navarro, now Johnny B Truant too). I agree with you that the 9-5-employee lifestyle is going to shift away from being the overwhelming norm.

And great point there about living on your terms — I think some people get the idea that it is about doing something outrageous or very audacious or “in your face” or whatever. But that’s not necessarily it. Forsaking “normal” might mean living more frugally, or choosing to downsize your home, or being teetotal, or all sorts of things.

I agree – being beyond the norm doesn’t mean you do outrageous things – it simply means living on your terms.

My whole internet presence is based on that principle – the way I write, comment and and build my digital career, it’s all build on breathing and living my very own style.

Back in the early days I used to get bashed by my teachers for doing things my way – be it writing or drawing. I thought something was wrong with me – because I couldn’t fit in – oh my, how times changed.

I believe that fully embracing your total uniqueness is the only way to live a kick-ass life !
Keep rocking, Ali
.-= Mars Dorian´s last blog ..Why You MUST Create Your Brand If You Want To Build A Successful Digital Career =-.

I love your blog! I grew up in the US and decided early on that I wanted a life that was exciting and different – it didn’t have to be normal as long as it wasn’t boring. My upbringing was loving and sheltered, but I wanted to go explore the world. I spent my fifth year of college abroad (in Paris), which was the most wonderful experience. After going back to the US, I eventually returned to Europe and spent 12 years in Amsterdam. I have worked for myself for years now; the last time I was actually employed by a company was 7 years ago. It has been a wonderful journey so far, with challenges and adventures along the way.

I’ve never fit into the ‘normal’ mold, and it took me a while to really accept and appreciate this. There’s no map if you strike out on your own path, and sometimes things seem daunting. But I have never regretted the non-standard path I have taken. It has truly been amazing so far – and I look forward to what the future brings!