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Normal sucks.

Normal means spending $100K for a college education that will be little remembered and little used. Normal means walking into a doctor’s office with an ailment and not asking the doctor what he or she will charge to treat that ailment. And normal means amassing debt, tolerating a pointless job, and living paycheck to paycheck.

My blogging friend Laurie over at The Frugal Farmer is not a fan of normal. She recently penned a post urging her readers to “buck normal” and ignore the stultifying stooges of the status quo. And toward the end of this great post, she poignantly challenged her readers to take stock of their lives.

“It’s time to start asking yourself the hard questions. It’s time to start asking yourself why you are settling for a job you hate, a money situation you hate, or a body condition (i.e. your health) that you aren’t happy with.”

She continued.

“It’s time to figure out what you really want out of life before you go off the deep end like someone I know who spent too many years living ‘normal’ until it drove him to have the typical midlife crisis and lose everything he loved for the sake of cheap and short-term thrills.”

Finally, Laurie ended her post with these simple but moving words.

“It’s time to buck up and dream, people. You deserve better than ‘normal’”.

Motivation in Your Pocket

I loathe normal. For the first forty years of my life I was normal, and it left me a bitter, debt-laden wretch. Needless to say, I don’t ever want to be normal again. And to make sure that doesn’t happen, Laurie has inspired me to create a Motivation Folder on my smartphone.

My Motivation Folder is nothing but a folder I created on my YouTube mobile app and named “Motivation.” Its purpose is to house videos of people “bucking normal” and displaying pretty ballsy behavior. And my plan is to watch whatever’s in my Motivation Folder whenever I get the urge to play it safe and be normal.

So that’s my Motivation Folder. Nothing fancy. Nothing spectacular. Just a handy jolt of courage to help me renounce normal and rebuke the ever-present stultifying stooges of the status quo.

Right now, my Motivation Folder contains four movie scenes and one heroic Olympic feat. Here’s a screenshot of my Motivation Folder on my smartphone.

A screenshot of the contents of my Motivation folder on my cellphone

And here’s a quick review of the videos currently in my Motivation Folder.

1. The scene in The Verdict where Frank Galvin tells the judge presiding over his case that he (the judge) is nothing but a crooked “bagman for the boys downtown.”

2. The scene from Hoosiers where Coach Norman Dale would rather play with four players than let a player who flouted his instructions back into the game. “My team is on the floor.”

3. The scene from Paths of Glory where Colonel Dax tells his commander, General Broulard , that he (General Broulard) is a “degenerate, sadistic old man.”

4. The scene from On the Waterfront where Terry Malloy tells mob boss Johnny Friendly that he (Johnny Friendly) is a “cheap, lousy, dirty, stinking mug.”

5. I vividly remember watching the below scene from the 1976 Olympics as it unfolded on live TV. It was riveting. Shun Fujimoto was a gymnast who broke his leg in the floor exercise. But the Japanese team needed him to compete in the still rings portion of the competition. If he didn’t compete, the Japanese would have lost the gold medal to the hated Russians.

Imagine walking on a broken leg. Now imagine doing three somersaults in the air and landing on a broken leg. Shun Fujimoto made Olympic history by nailing a dismount with a broken leg. And YOU can’t say no to a double latte on the way to work?

Final Thoughts

Okay, groovy freedomists, that’s all I got. What say you? Is my Motivation Folder a little over the top? If it is, what handy tool do you use to guard against being normal? And if it isn’t, what videos would you put in it? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Peace.

37 thoughts on “Motivation to Buck Normal Is in Your Pocket

  1. If I had to add a video in my imaginary motivation folder, it would probably be Hulk, transforming 😀

    I loved Laurie’s article and can definitely relate to the message it sends. Yours as well!

    I can’t say I’m “sick of normal”, but being constantly told what to do because ‘everyone does it’ or ‘that’s the way society works’ is downright BS. And so annoying!

    1. Haha! I love it. Which Hulk? TV Hulk? Or big screen Hulk? For me, I’ll take Lou Ferrigno. And I love how you frown upon the “that’s the way society works” nonsense. It is BS.

    1. Exactly, Penny. Motivation in your pocket is a little woo-woo. But if it’s meaningful to you and helps you stay on track, why not?

  2. I don’t think it’s over the top at all! Anyone who hasn’t been moved or motivated by anything in movies doesn’t have a heart. If you know what motivates you, taking advantage of that is just smart living if you ask me!

    I’d say the Herb Brooks (played by Kurt Russell) speech from Miracle would work every time for me – “Great moments… are born from great opportunity.”

    1. I love it, Chris. I forgot all about the Miracle on Ice. I was going to Buffalo University at the time, and because we were close to the Canadian border, we were able to pick up Canadian TV. And Canadian TV showed the entire USA-USSR game from when it started (5:00 pm EST). I can still see Eruzione putting the puck past Myshkin with 10 minutes left. The whole campus erupted. And then the whole campus really erupted when we held on for the win.

  3. I think your motivation folder is a great idea, and I was all ready for motivational talks to appear, but low and behold you hit me where I live….classic movies. That’s something I can definitely get into. And that Shun Fujimoto story is amazing.

    1. Hey, Gary. I was hoping you’d chime in on this one. Let me know when you get a chance what other gutsy scenes I missed. I just add the “They can bill me” clip from Aliens to my Motivation Folder. And, yes, the Fujimoto story is amazing. Thanks for stopping by, my friend. Have a great weekend.

  4. Haha “buck” doesn’t mean the dollar to me anymore. I didn’t grow up thinking debt was normal. It wasn’t until I was 23 before I realized a 60% rate was an odd occurrence. Gee…I was the weird kid always but I didn’t know it came with such nice advantages if I may gloat a bit. Yay weirdos!!! A motivation folder is totally weird. Goooooo weirdos!!!

    1. Absolute, Lily. The only thing separating our country from total collapse is those who dare to be weird. We need more people like you. Never mind cowbell, we need more weirdo. Thanks for stopping by, Lily. And thanks for being weird.

  5. K, first, that story about the gymnast made me tear up. What a powerful story!! My kids are gymnasts and they loved it!! Second, thank you SO much for mentioning my post – you know I thoroughly admire you guys. Third, I have never watched any of the above-mentioned movies. We are old movie buffs and I am thoroughly ashamed of myself! Checking Netflix now. 🙂

    1. Likewise, Laurie. Likewise. Your post was one of the best posts I’ve read this year–and not just because I was mentioned in it. When is it going to be on Rockstar, damn it! And when you get a chance, check out Paths of Glory. It’s one of Stanley Kubrick’s first movies. Be warned, however. It’s not a lighthearted film. It’s about three innocent soldiers being executed for cowardice. So you got to be in the mood for such a harrowing subject. Thanks for stopping by, Laurie. It’s always great hearing from one of my favorite bloggers.

  6. You forgot to post the “abby normal brain” from Young Frankenstein. Thanks for posting those clips. I would like to watch “On the waterfront” again. I see normal as being broke, overweight, medicated, and intoxicated. I try to be financially sober. I guess the masses see that as having the abby normal brain.

    1. No! I’m such a dunce. How could I forget Young Frankenstein and Abby Normal? Great catch, Dave. Your financial sobriety really shined through in that comment. I owe you one.

    1. Haha! I love the scene just before the last round when Rocky is getting off his stool and he mutters to Mickey, “You stop this fight, I’ll kill ya.” And, you know, I’ve never seen Remember the Titans. I’ll have to rectify that glaring omission. Thanks for stopping by, Amy. You never fail to make me think.

  7. Thanks for sharing. I haven’t heard of Fujimoto’s story. That’s very inspiring. Most of our problems aren’t so bad. There are many stories of struggles in the world that can help with motivation.
    Last night, we just watched Lion. Saroo Brierley’s great story about a lost Indian boy who eventually found his way home.

    1. I never forgot Fujimoto’s epic ring routine in the 76 Olympics. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to share his heroism with another generation. Thanks for stopping by, Joe. And thanks for pointing out the Lion. Mrs. G and I will be watching it this Sunday night.

  8. What a great idea – the motivation folder! Normal is good in some cases ;), but yeah shaking things up and not living in the same ol’ same ol’ is always a good idea!

    I’ve used the word “reinvent” in the past, especially when trying to explain life & career paths to younger siblings/relatives/friends. Its never easy, but always a good thing in hindsight 🙂

  9. I like your motivation folder and think a lot of people need some extra encouragement to get through rough days or handle challenges. This is a great idea for them.

    As for me, I have all the motivation I need by looking at pictures and videos of the kids on my phone (there are hundreds. Inspiration is only one part of the equation – you also need a plan and to take action. I can watch videos, read awesome posts like this one, and read inspirational quotes all day long. I realize that normal is not for us and I need to escape from my job and live a more-fulfilling life. However, the problem is that I lived “normal” for too long, so I have a lot of damage to repair before I can do that.

    1. So true, Harmony. I don’t know if there’s anything more motivating than pictures and videos of your own children. And I hear you about escaping normal. How do you do it, especially when normal is so familiar and comforting? Very tough problem. For me, it was meeting and marrying the right person. That was the first step. The next step was tracking our spending and learning how to spend less than we earned. After that, we just kept building on our little victories. I think the good news for you, Harmony, is that your normal isn’t mainstream normal. In other words, you’re very weird compared to most Americans. And you’re still young. I have no doubt that you’ll eventually shed normal and join the ranks of the freakish. Thanks for stopping by, Harmony. It’s always great hearing from someone who yearns to be a weirdo.

  10. I actually think this is a great idea! Nothing like a little motivation to kick you in the a$$ and make you want to work harder!

    Shun Fujimoto’s story… sheesh, that’s insane! Talk about grit.

    1. Exactly, Mrs. AR! Regular “buck normal” training never hurt anyone. And, yes, Fujimoto’s story is insane. Thank God for YouTube. I just knew someone had to have uploaded that inspiring story.

  11. Solid. For me, I always try to tell myself that if I do normal things, I’ll get normal results and will never become extraordinary. Maybe it’s because I’ve always been a bit of an oddball. At one point in my life I decided to embrace it, and have not looked back since.

    I think we have one life to live, and if we act average, we will have average lives.

    1. I love oddballs, Miguel. You are so right. “Do normal things…get normal results.” Haven’t heard it said any better than that. Thanks for stopping by, my friend.

  12. Buck normal! Could also be said as something that that rhymes with buck…

    This is great. I often think that the hard things in life now lead to greater payoffs later. Sure it is easy to eat fast food for lunch, but bringing food from home improves both my pocket book and body.

    I like this idea and may incorporate it…I had never heard of the Olympian. That is wild!

    1. Thanks, DDD. I think will have include a “buck normal” breakout session in FinCon 2018. And I hear you about embracing the hard things now to have a greater payoff later. If only I grasped this in my 20s rather than my 40s. Sigh. Thanks for stopping by, my friend.

      P.S. Fujimoto rocks. Talk about grit and toughness.

    1. Agree, Mr. FF. FIRE is so much better than normal. And, yes, Hoosier is a great movie. Never tire of watching it. Thanks for stopping by, my friend. It’s always great hearing from another weirdo. Cheers.

  13. On the weekend I LOVE to watch videos of people who are living and traveling in converted vans, or people who live off the grid or are otherwise doing interesting things with their life or following their passion. I also watch TED talks. So I totally get it! 🙂

    1. I’m with you, Tonya. YouTube is much more compelling than regular TV. Mrs. Groovy and I are heading out to Montana this fall, so I’ve been binging on videos of people hiking Glacier National Park. I’ve also been watching a bunch of Dr. Fuhrman videos as well (Eat to Live). Any TED talks to recommend? I haven’t watched a TED talk in a while.

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