I wear “crazy” as a badge of honor. Crazy, by the way, is the nicest version of a trio of adjectives thrown my way in the past week – the two others are “stupid” and “idiotic.” All of these endearing comments have been received since I started sharing my plans to complete a Double Anvil Race* in 2015.
As I graciously accept the “crazy” moniker, I consider myself in good company:
• Crazy is what the experts thought of breaking the 4-minute mile in running before Roger Bannister did it in 1954. Since then, over 1,300 other athletes have joined Roger in this feat.
• Crazy is what people thought of air travel until Wilbur and Orville Wright changed history in 1903. Despite their breakthroughs, many Europeans labeled their claims as lies.
• Crazy is what Ken Olson, the CEO of Digital Equipment Corp., thought was the future of personal computers in 1977 when he said, “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” It took the likes of Bill Gates to have a different vision.
Some people get it. But most people don’t.
I find it interesting what people “project” about themselves with their reactions to my goals and dreams. When I’m called “idiotic,” for example, it would be easy for me to get offended. But I realize that it’s more a reflection of them, than me. And I will not let my dreams be diminished by someone else’s insecurities or limitations.
Of course, the “offenders” are quick to rationalize, “I would never…” or “I have a life.” I love that second one, as if to insinuate that I “don’t” have a life because of my training regimen, which they have no clue about. The truth is that my training does take a big commitment of time, but probably less than the average person spends watching TV or glued to his smartphone.
Often times we think something is “crazy,” because it’s beyond our capacity to believe in the possibility. It’s our belief that something is too big or too hard. But that’s our own limiting beliefs at play. It holds us back from being better in our career, better in our relationships, or just plain better. So we settle for what is comfortable and what is safe.
We settle for mediocre. We settle for ordinary.
I was sharing this concept with a group in Charlotte last week. One of my clients agreed that it’s easy to go to work and “go through the motions.” He got what I was saying, because he shared with the others, “If you’re going to work, why not be the best at what you do?” Think about that.
Micheal Gerber, author of The E-Myth and a dozen other books puts it this way, “Dreaming small is not dreaming at all. Dreaming small, which is what most people do, is really the act of shrinking yourself to live a life that you can imagine because it fits your perception of what you know and are able to do. There is no imagination in that. And a life without imagination is already dead.”
So are you going through the motions, accepting your lot in life because that is what you know? Do you do it the way you’ve always done it because it’s easier that way? Or are you challenging yourself to push beyond what you and others think is reasonable and normal? Are you learning and applying new ways to stretch and grow?
I think it’s time to pull out the super hero cape and hop on the crazy train. We are all capable of so much more, if we simply allow our greatness to shine. In fact, Chris Harris and I started RefuseOrdinary out of our shared desire to help people live bolder, better and more authentic lives. I guess you could say we are crazy rebels looking for like-minded folks who want to join the revolution.
Steve Jobs said it well, “Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
So go ahead, call me crazy. It will put a big shit-eating grin on my face.
* The Double Anvil is a double iron distance triathlon consisting of a 4.8 mile swim, a 224 mile bike and a 52.4 mile run (all done consecutively) which must be completed in a 36-hour time limit.
