The real truth behind our ‘new normal’

Photo by Adrià Tormo on Unsplash

Photo by Adrià Tormo on Unsplash

I’ve heard this question probably a dozen times over the past few months: Do you think we’re living in a “new normal?” 

My answer: Yep.

Here’s why: There’s ALWAYS a new normal.

Every. 

Single. 

Day.

Whether we realize it or not.

There is no going back. Not to be morbid or anything, but the person you were yesterday has vanished. If you’re reading this on August 27, 2020, you are different than who you were on August 26.

  • You’re a day older now.

  • You’re another 24 hours closer to driving, voting, drinking, or cashing in on your AARP discounts.

  • You’re either a bit stronger or somewhat weaker.

  • Depending on how you ate yesterday, you might weigh a little less or a little more.

  • I hope you’re a bit smarter today. Yet that’s determined by what you allowed into your mind yesterday.

  • You’re either more skilled at your craft, or you’ve gotten worse.

That list is not comprehensive by any means, but it’s a pretty detailed way of saying nothing stays the same. Nothing.

Everything changes. (Yesterday’s a memory.)

Everything is fluid. (Tomorrow’s still an idea.)

Except for what is now. (Only today can be lived.)

So that means we get to choose our “new normal.”

Every. 

Single. 

Day.

Whether we realize it or not.

  • What we eat

  • What we watch

  • How much, or how little, our bodies move

  • How we speak to each other

  • How we listen

  • Who we trust

  • Who, or what, we worship

  • How we’ll improve in our sport or in our vocation

So maybe we’ve been asking the wrong question all along. Maybe we should frame it this way instead:

Is there a chance that what we call “normal” is really just what we KNOW? And what if “normal” really isn’t something we go BACK to, but it’s actually something we move TOWARD. 

You know the answer, don’t you?

So do I.

Who you were yesterday is gone. Who you become tomorrow is up to you. 

For better. Or for worse.

One small, simple decision at a time. 

Made today, of course.

(Tim Kolodziej is the creator of EnspireU.com and author of this piece. You can email him here.)

InspirationTim Kolodziej