How do I become Weird?

How do I become Weird?

It sounds like an unusual question but in my opinion it is one strong key to all life holds.

I was with a friend this week at dinner and we were going to meet up with his roommate (Tom) to talk about all this crazy positive belief and mastermind stuff. My buddy (Ross) is so much into the ideas of changing himself through learning and searching new ways to grow but his roommate is much more cautious. As we all sat and talked it was clear this was not going to be an everyday discussion about sports and current events. It was almost out of the gate that Ross asked Tom what he thought about a relationship like the one Ross has with me. Now to be clear understand that Ross and Tom have been roommates in college for the past two years and now are doing the same thing in their first year of employment. Tom has known Ross as a guy to hang with, watch TV with and do all the normal things you do as roommates at this turn of life and growing. Ross and I have talked many times that some of his friends have a hard time digesting the desire he has for growing, learning and connecting at a much deeper level. All of these discussions led to the question Ross asked Tom;

"So what do you think of mine and Brian's relationship?"

Tom Answered quickly and politely "I think its cool"

Ross replied quickly "You don't think it is weird?"

Tom said "no it's cool"

Then the turn came which stood out in my mind. Ross said to him " I think it's weird" "I think I like being weird"

As the conversation continued it went down a path of why be normal when normal is not extraordinary? It was a thought process all about not fitting in as much as trying to stand out by doing the things we need to do to be excellent. We often struggle with making room in life for building the disciplines it takes to be successful. We are very often overwhelmed with things, tasks, lists etc. and we have to remember how to control these "things" through our routine of discipline.

In addition to knowing how to have disciplines we must realize how to have the openness to be vulnerable to people in our lives. We are so busy building masks and living up to images of ourselves that we often forget to actually become ourselves. As the three of us talked over dinner it was very cool to discuss the weird people who had gone before us and taught us lessons on how to live life. People like Andrew Carnegie and Napolean Hill who fathered the modern day mastermind. In talking about these people it reminded us that success exists inside of us becoming honest and willing to let others in.

Ross had posed it correctly when he said "I like being weird"

As I journaled after the fact and logged this moment into my writings it made me think about Malcolm Gladwells book "Outliers" A book defining the traits of someone who lies outside the "Norm". In this book he studies example after example of people who seized opportunity when it presented itself. As you read the stories on Bill Gates, The Beatles, and many other well known people it made me realize they were all weird! They went to such extra lengths to try to do something they really loved! They were each in love with the idea of getting up and doing what they wanted to do. This is a huge secret in reaching your potential is in finding what it is about your life you love to do and then being excited each day to embrace that opportunity!

The mastermind concept of allowing people to really know you, accept you and love you for who you are is so powerful. We are all taught form the day we can process thought to be a "good" little boy or girl. I think that somewhere along the line most people forget to become who they are instead of who they think they should be. In the act of becoming who we are supposed to we become normal.

I heard it said recently that only 5% of our population will be able to fund their own retirement without assistance from the government. 95% = Normal, 5% = weird

I heard the statistic recently that only 3% of our country's population earns more than $250,000.00 per annum.

I heard recently the stat that only 1% of the worlds population controls 99% of its wealth.

All of these statistics revolve around financial success and my belief is that success is much greater than finances but finances certainly do return to us over and over when we become powerful enough to make a difference in the world we live in by using our talents at the highest level. I think it proves that the "Normal" people are certainly creating something different than the "Weird" people.

I read allot of Biographies, Autobiographies and business books in general on people who created great success. I watch for trends and common traits that allow these people to play the game at a different outcome in hopes that I can learn something new to implement. I try very hard to share what I learn as I am a big believer in Zig Ziglar's quote 'You can have anything you want if you help enough other people get what they want!"

In my mind there are certain key elements to creating success;

Disciplines which create routines for Growth.
Openness which makes us stronger through our vulnerability.
Planning which allows us to really use the talents we have everyday and enjoy each day to the fullest
Excitement to create a better world through our visions of what we can be and who we can help.

First initials coincidentally spelled D.O.P.E. and that is the best drug I could ever imagine. The drug which allows us to be who we are, do what we love and create a vision and a plan for changing our lives the most when we work to change the lives around us.

A friend of mine (Sean) sent me an email this weekend as he was deer hunting in the top of a tree;

Sean wrote - Three things that make me happy. Family, friends, and experiences... Any world problems i should solve while im 20 ft up in the tree :).

I responded to him;  What do each of us need to do personally to eradicate lack of tolerance allowing every person to feel free to be real and more powerful to make better use of their lives. You asked so that's my outstanding question!        Brian

Sean wrote back;

Get rid of fear. Trust. Love. Understand. Realize there is no perfection. Communicate. Listen. Believe. Stop thinking about only ourselves. Understand our strengths and exploit them not our weaknesses. Look for opportunity to lead others to their goals. Stop demanding. Drop the social restrictions. Be who we are suppose to become not what others tell us to become.  Learn from others failures and celebrate their wins...it would be a better world. I will do my part.

I have confidence in telling you all that Sean is weird and I am very proud to call him a friend. He is focused on his disciplines, his openness, his planning and his excitement each day to make the changes he wants to make. As you read his response you will not see a fear of who is supposed to be but rather a confidence shining through for who he is. My goal is to use my life in such a way that I allow people to be honest with me. If I know who they are maybe I can help them become who they want to be. I hope this message today encourages you to sit down and think about 5 new things you could do this week to make yourself a little bit weirder. If we could all help each other in becoming weird instead of normal the world would most certainly Change for the better!

Have a great week!!

Brian