thoughts, words, deeds

reduced to the norm

Motivational Monday! Legendary author Jack Kerouac , born on this day in 1922, once said "Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion." What do you think...is this true? And at what point did you stop caring about something being trendy or popular and just started to fully enjoy it solely because you liked it?

Absolutely, I believe this. Fads and trends are something that tries to bring behaviors to a norm, an average place. So, every year, the fashion industry for example, says that the trending color of the year is some random color—which is good. Most of the clothes that season are echoed around that color and the other trends that the industry sees. So, for a season, all the skirts are long and cut on the bias and focused around a single color story. And some people go out and buy a whole new wardrobe because they want to be at that cutting edge of fashion where people look at them and say—there is a person who has bought a new wardrobe, what amazing discretionary income this person has. And then the trend changes and the person buys anew because her tastes (or rather that cutting edge) have changed with the trend.

Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with wanting to be in fashion, whether with clothes or with catchphrases, phones, music, tastes, or sensibilities, but the problem with trends is that they are designed to be average. They’re designed to be what most people are doing or wearing or thinking at a particular moment in time.

Average does not create greatness. Greatness comes from being who you are as intensely as possible. It means, if you like green and the color of the year is purple, you still have a favorite color and it’s green. It means when you write, you don’t care that vampire lit is selling right now, you are going to write the story that has been in your mind and heart. It means finding what you like and are good at, and then exercising that until its more and better.

I’ve never really followed trends (nor am I an anti-trend person—have you ever noticed that non-conformity has a uniform as well?). I just try to live my life and do what I like. If the world likes it, I don’t care, I’ll still do it. If the world doesn’t like it, so what?