The cost of being normal and perfect.
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Dance like no one is watching
Last weekend was a friend’s big birthday bash. The birthday man is a very good dancer. In his younger days he was a part of a dances team.
As you can imagine this birthday party was filled with great dancers. The night went on what started to happen on the dance floor was, a circle of people were formed. One by one everyone was being pulled and got put in the center to dance solo.
Of course, for dancers each one of them did some super cool tricks, while dancing inside the circle.
Next, we have the sexy girls, they each do their sexy dance in the center.
Then, we have the ‘No WAY, No How’ people. These people will go dodging away from being pull into the center of the circle. A few times some of them got caught and were placed inside the circle. They refused to dance and some of them even got a little angry.
I was watching all that was going on and found the whole thing was interesting. Then suddenly it happened… I felt a tuck and next thing I knew I was placed in the center.
So, I just start dancing. I don’t know how to do any dance tricks and I am NO Sexy dancer, I just did my own thing.
Later that evening a beautiful woman came up to me and she said, ” You are a little nutty! Most woman would try to dance sexy on the dance floor, but you looked like you are just having fun. Do you not care about what people think?” I replied, ” It is a good thing to be a little nutty… and no, I don’t worry about what people think.”
Her name is Dee Dee and she started to open up to me. As it turns out Dee Dee spend her whole life trying to be picture perfect. She married the perfect guy after college, only to find that he is the wrong guy. She stay married because they look to be the perfect couple and they are living the perfect life according to their social circle.
Dee Dee said her parents are CPAs and naturally she became a CPA. She is very successful in her work and she is the CFO for a major corporation. However, Dee Dee’s dream was never to be in the financial. As a young girl Dee Dee knew that her passion was in a different path than her parents. But Dee Dee didn’t want to want to create any wave, so she just follow her education path that her family have planned for her. Than before she knew it, Dee Dee had made her family very proud of her.
Dee Dee told me that she have a strong urge to start her life all over again. She wish to walk away from her empty marriage, her so called perfect life and her perfect career. I recognized at this moment that I am looking at a desperate woman. A woman who is desperate to re claim her life… to feel alive. I asked Dee Dee, ” What is stopping you?” She said, ” Everyone will think I went Nuts…”
I was almost speechless, all that I could say to her was, ” So, you are a normal person, living a perfect life. All of that is great, if it is working for you…”
I wonder how many people are living a life like Dee Dee’s? At what cost are we willing to pay to be normal and perfect?
My personal opinion is that, being normal is overrated! I would rather be call a little Nuts any day.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Gio,
If normal means unhappy like most people are, I’d rather be completely nuts! I’ve started to learn dancing and like you, don’t know what to do on the dance floor when the spotlight is on me. Luckily I’m old and crazy enough to just do whatever even if it’s embarrassing, and I don’t even feel embarrassed… so maybe we’re both nuts!
Thanks for sharing this story. Makes me glad I’m not married, not a lawyer, not having the ‘perfect’ life, and therefore having a wonderful joy that I love, that is perfect for me!
Being normal is definitely overrated! Great story and great post, Giovanna!
> is it working for you?
That’s a perfect question.
I think the other thing that’s key is it’s less about achieving, and more about being on your path. If you’re not on your path, find a way to get on it Life’s too short to live with regrets. It’s the rocking chair test in action.
Hello Giovanna,
Let’s all be a little imperfect and take some imperfect actions that get our life going in the direction that we should be going in. With some joy and happiness along the way. How much time do we have to wait?
Dan and Deanna “Marketing Unscrambled”
Hi Giovanna - I wonder what she is going to do! It can be a lonely road, being Nuts - I can testify to this because I am Nutty myself. The trick is to find other Nuts to share the path with. (Just look at the topic of my blog - most people would say I was nuts, wouldn’t they?)
Love the photo of you dancing (that would be normal in my world, and dancing sexily would be Nuts).
Being perfect is boring! I’m like you as well a little nutty as well. Well…OK a lot nutty!
Hi Daphne,
I will be proud to be nutty next to you.
I believe that it is much more important to be happy. Beside, who is the judge of Perfect. I may say nutty is perfect and some may say otherwise.
Let’s be happy together, my nutty friends…
Thank you for your comment and joining the conversation.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Aciton
Hi Positively Present,
Yes, I think all I want to be is to ‘BE ME’ and I wish the same for everyone else.
Thank you for your comment and sharing your thoughts.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Aciton
Hi J.D.
I like what you said about the Rocking Chair Test in Action. You are right, Life’s too short!
Thank you for your comment and adding more to this post.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Aciton
Hi Dan & Deanna,
Well said my friend. My wish for everyone is to accept the imperfection and to have more joy and happiness in life. I believe that is the way to live a successful life.
Thank you for your comment and sharing your thoughts.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Aciton
Hi Robin,
One of the best thing about starting a blog is that it allow me to connect to like minded people. I guess that is one way to find other NUTS to share the path.
I am glad you love the photo, however, I am sorry to say, “that isn’t me.” I guess no one have taken a photo of me dancing yet…
I found this photo and I think that is how I look when I am dancing.
Thank you for your comment and being my friend.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Aciton
Hi Tess,
Thank you for your comment and being a part of this post.
Just think…if we can gather a lot of us together. Than Nutty will be the new Normal!?
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Aciton
Hi Gio .. can’t stand being ‘normal’ .. but I too have cringed and writhed when being asked to dance or stand out - feeling uncomfortable .. now I’d let go and to hell with it .. it’s not my forte, so what .. I can do other things … help can’t I?!!! Of course I can .. but just being because we have to be is terrible - but that’s what family can do, and your friends too .. we just have to continue to do what we believe in - life’s too short
Thanks for sharing .. good to see the dancing girl!!
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
Your post brings to mind a really beautiful and unusual memory. I was maybe 16 and our band and chorus were having an exchange concert with another school. We were all in their huge gym for a dance. Nobody was dancing, just standing around looking awkward.
Suddenly there’s this girl who looked thirteen or fourteen dancing by herself and making use of the whole gym like it was a room in her own house! Wasn’t trying to be sexy - a pretty girl though - but just looked like she was totally having a good time.
I remember everyone in the group I was with looking over at her and nobody said a word of criticism. It was kind of amazing given that age that somebody could behave so freely, unselfconsciously and naturally that nobody even wanted to make fun of her for acting different!
Thanks for this Giovanna. I know I was in a situation like your friend’s a few years ago. I was making my employer, my parents, my friends and so on very happy and impressed, but unfortunately I felt kind of angry or apathetic most of the time. One day, I finally admitted to myself that how I feel matters and I totally revamped my life.
Forget normal, nor perfect, they’re nothing more than detrimental concepts of man to distance themselves from the other. We are all responsible for our life. We chose what we want to be yet most of the time we follow the dictum of the system or the preference of the people around us. It is always good to dance on your own tune, at least you’re satisfied with it.
Gio and Dee Dee - I know what you mean. Most people follow the moobah - you know - like cows and sheep. They go to school, get good grades, get a degree and earn themselves a job. My best friend - Cornell grad, Michigan medical school, became a pediatrician, married a nurse, 2 kids, living on the beach - the perfect life right? WRONG!! he is struggling to pay his mortgage. I mentioned a home bassed business and he said I was NUTS. Yeha right - Im nuts!!! Residual income - life of work and play - more then 8 weeks off a year - Here’s to being NUTS….
Hi Hilary,
I love what you said, “Just do what we believe in…life is too short.” Spot on!
Thank you for your comment and sharing your wisdom.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hi Paul
The world need to see more people who are free to express themselves, like that young girl you spoke of. I think for a child it is easy to be free, than as we get older we become trap in trying to be normal.
I real like your story.
Thank you for your comment and sharing your memory.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hi Chris,
Thank you for sharing your own story and I am honored that you did share it with me.
I am so glad you did change your focus of your life on you.
Thank you for your comment and your wisdom.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hi Walter,
Thank you for your comment and joining the conversation.
I like what you said very much, “Dane to your own tune, at least you’re satisfied…” You are a wise man.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
Hey Giovanna,
This is a great post! There really is a huge cost for Trying to be something other than our true selves. I also enjoy reading the comments from other readers, very powerful and insightful wisdom here.
Hi Baker,
It makes me happy to know that you enjoy this post, and you are right about all of the wisdom from the readers. I am so very blessed.
Thank you for your comment and sharing your thoughts.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action
[...] The Cost Of Being Normal And Perfect. [...]
It so good to visit your website today. It’s like seing you in person. You are always so aliuve and high spirited. I admire that about you. I will be using you Qoute “Imperfection is better than perfect inaction.” This has stuck eith me since the first time I heard you say it and I use it all the times to remind myself and others.