Recently, I read a phenomenal book titled The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau. It was filled with inspirational gems and I couldn’t stop highlighting entire passages and even pages at a time.
One of the very first points Guillebeau makes in The Art of Non-Conformity is that you don’t have to live your life to fulfill the expectations of others. He goes on to write that when you do things that people don’t expect, understand, or find “normal” they will inevitably marginalize you and your decisions and make it their responsibility to bring all of your potential mistakes to your attention. They want to punish you for “escaping” from the expected ways of life. They want to punish you for having the guts and the courage to do something they themselves could never do.
If you question the status quo, if you are forging your own path, if you are going against the tide, you are going to come up against a tremendous amount of resistance. “Instead of being easy, the most memorable times in our lives are often the most challenging. Overcoming the challenge is worth it in the end, but the challenge itself is also worth pursuing,” says Guillebeau. “As a general rule, it’s usually better to do something than not do it. We tend to regret what we haven’t done more than what we have.”
Guillebeau emphasizes setting your own rules and living the life you want. If that means pursuing your dream of being a writer, having a child, staying single forever or moving across the country on a whim, these are your choices and the opinions of others should not be reflected in your decisions.
As Henry David Thoreau once said, “most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with their song still in them.” Don’t go to the grave with your sting still in you. Belt out those notes, sing at the top of your lungs, create the life you dream about and ignore the naysayers. Live your legacy and embrace life as the adventure it should be. “The tragedy of life is not so much what we suffer, but rather what we miss.” – Thomas Carlyle
I highly recommend picking up Chris Guillebeau’s The Art of Non-Conformity. Let me know what you think and if it inspires you to live the life you want.
(As I said earlier, I highlighted entire pages from this book, so expect another post or two on Guillebeau’s work). In the meantime, you can also visit his site for more insightful anecdotes and messages that will help you create your own unique path in life.
