Thanks for the feedback to our various articles recently – it’s much appreciated and is cool to hear that your guys are enjoying and benefiting from what we’re doing.

 

I got a mixture of feedback from the article ‘Getting rid of my TV‘.

 

Some loved it and are going have a go themselves.

 

Some (who I know) liked to point out (jokingly) that I’m “not normal” or a “bit weird”.

 

Now, I’d never dispute either of these things.

 

In-fact, I’m glad people have noticed.

 

I’ve made a concerted effort over the last decade to not be ‘normal’.

 

You see, I used to be what most people would consider ‘normal’.

 

 

  • I ate cereal and toast for breakfast.
  • My diet was largely based around pasta, potatoes and bread – you know, ‘the staples’
  • I tried to eat less and do more cardio to lose weight.
  • Ate the ‘odd’ cake, biscuit and chocolate bar as “one wouldn’t do be any harm”.
  • I watched plenty of TV.
  • Played video games.
  • Drank quite a lot of beer.
  • I was planning on getting a 9-5 job and working my way up the ‘chain’ until I either retired or died (preferably the former).
But, as with a good proportion of the population, being ‘normal’ didn’t make me happy.

 

I was overweight and unhappy with the way my life was going.

 

I was about to graduate from Nottingham University with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering and Operations Management.

 

At my 21st birthday party at Pride Park in Derby, I made a vow to myself that would change my life forever.

 

I vowed to pursue my dream of becoming a professional wrestler.

 

I won’t go on about it (there’s some more info in the ‘28 things you may not know about Jon‘ article if you’re interested), but the experience changed me.

 

I started working in the fitness industry at the same time and soon became self employed and began rethinking many of the things I took for granted.

 

I decided to stop being ‘normal’ if it wasn’t making me happy.

 

To try and do the opposite of what I was previously doing and see how I felt then.

 

I now do very little or none of the above list now and am much happier for it.

 

People might think I’m not ‘normal’ sometimes, but I remember that being ‘normal’ wasn’t working for me.

 

######################################################

 

I’m sure you get the point now – if being ‘normal’ isn’t making YOU happy, then stop it.

 

Being different is fine if it makes you happy.

 

So is being normal.

 

There’s very little wrong in this life – only you know what makes you happy.

 

Do less of what stops you being happy and more of what makes you more happy, even if it’s not normal.

 

Zig while others zag.

 

 

 

Much love,

 

Jon “Be happy” Hall


Jon Hall
Jon Hall

When not helping people to transform their lives and bodies, Jon can usually be found either playing with his kids or taxi-ing them around. If you'd like to find out more about what we do at RISE then enter your details in the box to the right or bottom of this page or at myrise.co.uk - this is the same way every single one of the hundreds who've described this as "one of the best decisions I've ever made" took their first step.