Weird is Normal and Normal is Weird: How to Have a Normal Social Life

So, at this point in my life – it’s finally cool to be a geek. Because I’m old enough to make something out of my “weird” ideas – I feel fulfilled by my daily grind. Clients love me, my writers like me a lot, and I love working with tons of amazing geeks like myself.

My magazine is gaining momentum and opportunity, and we’re making our mark with really a meaningful product.

But that’s work. I’m still a bit out of place in the social realm. Geeks like me (entrepreneurs like me) often can’t escape thoughts of our business. Especially if we love what we do.

We like brainstorming new advertisements over martinis, or revising chapter one of our novel while dancing too close to some sweaty dude in a club. It seems fun. But, something tells me that it’s not normal.

Last Saturday night, my husband and I gladly waited an hour for a window-side table at a beautiful restaurant on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. We hadn’t been out alone in a few weeks and were so stoked to have this time together. We ordered fancy drinks and ate slowly. And, as we sat across from each other romantically staring into one another’s eyes – we discussed the hiring of interns for our zine, our upcoming play, and my recent meeting with a lit agent.

We just could not get away from business talk. And yet we still had a great night. Because that’s the geeky kind of stuff we like to do.

Our “normal” friends are our saving grace from complete NERD-DUM. And you need to make sure you have non-entrepreneurial friends who can help pick you up out of the muck of focusing solely on your work.

When we hang with “normal” friends, we rarely mention our magazine or writing business. We really can’t because we find that they usually don’t relate. So we’re forced to talk about normal things like Grey’s Anatomy, macaroon recipes and Christmas vacations.

How refreshing it can be to watch sitcoms or play cards – or even go dancing without work lingering over your head. In the long run – getting out of your world will give you a better perspective when you get back.

If your social life is to be socially normal you will have to invite some “normal” people into it. The ones who live by the book from 9-5 can be really fun to hang with after the bell rings.

They may be weird to you. And trust me — you are weird to them. But, the balance of personalities is the perfect combo for normal social interaction. Having normal friends will also make you feel less weird and less self distracted.

Everyone is weird in their own way. But if you open your life to a balance of friendships and social activities – you’ll be able to focus less on your own geekness.

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