What is Normal?

I’m an average American. I get up every morning, shower, dress, make coffee, and head out the door (sometimes ten minutes late) to start my day. I sit in traffic, drop the kids off, and make it to work in time to check emails, run reports, and attend meetings. You know, normal stuff.

While the term “normal” has a debatable meaning, it is still safe to say that this is what the average person does Monday through Friday.

But is this what I want to do?

“But nobody likes their job.” This is what I usually hear when I ask people this question.

But why is that normal?

I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t want to spend my life in a cubicle, giving my all to company that’ll give me a gold watch after I’m no longer able to think and perform at a rate that’s no longer satisfactory to them.

I don’t want to sacrifice time with my children to work long hours and dedicate myself to a project for a firm.

I don’t want to sacrifice my partnership when I come home with an attitude sparked by being over stressed.

But then I come to the crossroad: if I don’t want to do any of these things how the hell am I supposed to make money? Feed the children I love to spend time with? Be a financial asset and not a liability to my partner?

That’s the part I haven’t figured out yet.

But what I do know is that if being normal means constantly having to push aside your values, beliefs, and integrity to the side for several hours a day, I don’t want any parts of it. The risk for me does not justify the reward.

But before I throw in the towel, let me shower and dress so I can head out the door and be normal.