Waking Up From “Normal”

Personal Introduction: Waking Up from the Illusion of Normal

For most of my life, I played the game society laid out for me.

I did everything right—or at least, everything I was told was right. I earned several professional degrees in accounting and finance, I climbed the corporate ladder, I secured the stable job, and automated my work so efficiently that I now only need only a few hours a week to keep up with it.

..Yet, here I am, staring at the reality of my life and asking a question that most people never ask themselves until it’s too late:

Am I going to end up where most people end up?

The truth is unsettling.

Most people don’t end up somewhere extraordinary.

They don’t wake up one day and realize they’ve built an empire, lived a life of adventure, or created something that outlasts them.

Most people slide—slowly, imperceptibly—into mediocrity. Not because they choose it, but because they never actively choose anything else.

I see this slope clearly now, and I refuse to be another casualty of the system. I refuse to let another year pass without actively changing the trajectory of my life. Because if I don’t—if you don’t—then we will end up where most people end up—in a prison for your mind.

This letter isn’t just for you. It’s for me. It’s for anyone who senses the walls closing in, the slow seduction of comfort leading them to a place they never intended to go.

So, I ask you again: Are you doing anything to change that?

The Slippery Slope to “Normal”

History repeats.

And history has always been unkind to the man who sleepwalks through it.

Throughout every era, the average man has drifted into mediocrity, not because he consciously chose it, but because he never actively rejected it. It feels normal. The slope is gentle, comfortable, and designed so that most people never realize they are sliding down until it’s too late.

A house. A job. A decent salary. A wife. A couple kids. Weekend distractions.

The same routine, year after year.

This is the blueprint. The trap. The system—prison—built for you so you never have to think about what you actually want. And once you’re in, once you’ve adapted to the warmth of predictable, repetitive existence, the door to extraordinary slams shut. Not because it’s locked—but because you stop looking for it.

Every year, the grip tightens. Every year, the chains get heavier.

2025 is around the corner. Then 2036. Then 2050. ..and pretty soon you’re old.

Be honest with yourself.

Are you prepared for what’s coming?

Or are you just waiting to be swept away by the tide?

Because the default path is set. The world is designed for the average man to stay average.

But you were never meant to be average…

Let me explain..

The Problem: Why Most People Stay Stuck

Most people don’t fail to escape mediocrity because they lack intelligence, ambition, or talent.

They fail because they underestimate the gravitational pull of the system.

The system thrives on your compliance—your willingness to trade potential for predictability.

It convinces you that:

• Thinking for yourself is risky.

• Going against the grain is dangerous.

• Extraordinary success is reserved for a lucky few.

But the real reason most people never break free isn’t external. It’s internal.

The single biggest problem? The loss of agency and urgency.

The moment you accept that life happens to you rather than being something you can create, you’ve already lost.

Mediocrity isn’t forced upon you. It’s accepted through inaction.

If you don’t actively design your future, someone else will design it for you.

And sooner or later, you’ll wake up and realize that you don’t like their design.

How to Break Free: Practical Steps to Avoid the Slide

Escaping the cycle requires intentional rebellion. It’s not enough to “hope” for a better life. You have to engineer it.

Here’s how:

1. Burn the Default Script

Society handed you a script—a uniform one-size-fits-all playbook. Throw it in the fire.

• Get a job. Work for 40 years. Retire at 65.

• Chase comfort. Avoid risk. Play it safe.

• Accept mediocrity because “that’s just how life is.”

Reject it.

If you don’t question the path you’re on, you’re already locked into someone else’s vision of life. And that vision doesn’t include your greatness.

What does your own script look like? If you don’t know, start writing.

2. Escape the Comfort Trap

Comfort is a slow killer. It feels good in the moment but destroys potential in the long run.

• Challenge yourself daily—mentally, physically, financially.

• Do something hard every day to keep your edge sharp.

• If it’s easy, it’s a trap. If it’s difficult, it’s growth.

Growth isn’t comfortable. But neither is realizing, 20 years from now, that you wasted your prime years chasing comfort.

3. Train Your Mind for War

Mediocrity wins by dulling your mind—through entertainment, distractions, useless obligations and mindless consumption.

• Read books that expand your thinking instead of numbing your mind.

• Write daily to process and refine your thoughts.

• Limit digital junk food—social media, news cycles, and algorithm-driven distractions.

Your mental state is your weapon. Keep it sharp, or you’ll be defenseless.

4. Build a Unique Skill Stack

People who escape mediocrity don’t just work hard. They work differently.

• Learn skills that compound over time. AI. Writing. Marketing. Cryptocurrency. Storytelling. Persuasion.

• Stack skills in a unique way. The rare combination of skills makes you irreplaceable.

• Stop competing. If you build something unique, you have no competition.

The masses follow trends. You create your own category.

5. Shift from Consumer to Creator

The easiest way to stay average? Be a passive consumer of life.

• Instead of watching, start writing.

• Instead of listening, start speaking.

• Instead of following, start leading.

Most people consume 99% of their time and create 1% of the time. Flip the ratio.

6. Set 10-Year Vision Targets (And Reverse Engineer Them)

If you don’t have a vision beyond the next 6 months, you’re already on the slide.

• Where do you want to be in 10 years?

• What do you need to do in 5 years to get there?

• What actions must you take this year to start closing the gap?

Stop reacting. Start designing.

7. Build Systems, Not Just Goals

Goals fail. Systems win.

• A goal says, “I want to be financially free.”

• A system says, “I invest X% of my income every month and build multiple income streams.”

Systems make success inevitable. If your daily habits don’t align with your future, you’re already losing.

The Final Question: Are You Doing Anything to Change That?

The default path is clear. You’ve seen it in your parents. Your friends. Your coworkers. The NPCs that walk the streets.

The gradual descent into “normal.”

The slow erosion of ambition and drive.

The realization—too late—that they let life happen to them instead of taking control.

You still have time.

But not forever.

2025 is HERE.

2036 will be here before you know it.

Will you be where you want to be?

Or will you have slid—slowly, imperceptibly—into the permanent category of “normal”?

You know the answer.

And if you don’t like it, do something about it.

Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat (Fortune Favors The Bold)

Thank you for reading,

—Lawrence