The topic of ‘What is Normal?’ has been on my mind for a while and I thought it would make an interesting blog post. The idea was birthed out of the Tiger Woods saga as I start asking myself this question what is normal for celebrities, icons, politicians, and successful people.
If you were a worldwide icon like Tiger Woods life as you know it would change. Your privacy would be sacrificed for fame, fortune and a loyal following. How would you manage? This question is easily answered when no one is following you or cares that you even exist. The definition or understanding of normal I believe is changing.
Webster’s define ‘normal’ as according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle; and conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern. Success is the enemy of normal. Success breds responsibility and accountability that is larger than most people can imagine and the price is higher than most people want to pay.
What is Normal?
This is a particularly interesting question since the line is blurring between Celebrities and Super Personal Brand Brands (i.e. Chris Brogan, Robert Scoble, and Gary Vaynerchuk).
Three Impacts of Success:
- Lost Privacy – Celebrities can’t go anywhere without paparazzi, TMZ following them and making living a regular life non-existent. With the rise of social networks, status updates, social search, Twitter, Facebook and other social tools personal privacy is starting to diminish for personal brands as well.
- Demanding Fans – Celebrities lives have been defined by their fans and the same is happening to personal brands. The increasing influx of DMs, blog post comments, emails, and online engagement with followers requires a committed person to grow their following.
- Feeding the Monkey – Continuing to create engaging content that will cause your community/following to grow is mandatory for celebrities and personal brands.
The point of this post is that normal is redefined as you reach certain levels of success in business and life. What was once normal is no longer normal. It creates challenges and opportunities that can benefit or damage your personal brand. As you grow your personal brand how will normal be redefined in your life?
