Winter-2019-newsletter

Certainly, if the children waited
the extra time they would double
their bounty; but studies have
shown that over half of the
children won’t wait to scarf it
down. Later renditions of the
Marshmallow Test show that,
when placed in a group, an even
higher number of children will
indulge immediately. Kids are a
great barometer of human
nature, and this experiment
shows us just how wired we are
to try to fit in with our peers.
Following the crowd is
normal behavior, but the
crowd does not always
enact good behavior.
People want to be normal and
being normal is often good.
Something generally becomes the
norm because it benefits people. It
is normal to shower and brush
your teeth. It is normal to sleep,
normal to work, and normal to
have dinner in good company.
There are many beneficial things
that are normal behaviors. This is
why when we first learn to drive a
car, we do not start with our hands
on the pedals while steering with
our feet... normally.
On the other hand though, there
are many normal things we do that
are destructive. Normally, we eat
too much sugar, watch too much
TV, and don’t exercise
nearly enough. It is a pitfall of
human nature. Following the
crowd is normal behavior but the
crowd does not always enact good
behavior. Doing the normal thing is
not the same as doing the right
thing, nor is it always beneficial.
If you want to live a dream life in
retirement and you want to quit
working one day and have time to
golf, crochet, read, camp, travel or
just do nothing at all; if you truly
want to live your perfect calendar
then when it comes to saving and
planning for your retirement, don’t
be normal.
S T R A T E G I C P L A N N I N G G R O U P | 8