A driven person, or even a driven team has certain characteristics, the many people in the outside purview might consider crazy. In fact, I daresay that “you’re crazy” is for the driven person one of the greatest compliments. What is the line of balance between being too focused on your purpose and being crazy?
Let me first signal, that if you are trying to navigate that fine line then you must be on the right track. The fact you find yourself even asking the question, is a great sign. Here is an idea, start pushing the envelope and the first time someone exclaims, you’re nuts then you can stop and ask the question, have I gone to far?
Maybe the monicur of being the crazy person at work, in your family or in your neighborhood is a right of passage. I believe I have become that weirdo that is always running at 5am, and you know what? I wear that badge with honor. I am pushing hard to run a 100 mile trail marathon, which fyi, will take someone in my condition at least 24 hours to run. Anyone outside the ultra running community would call that certifiably insane. Well throw me in with the bucket of lunnies, at least I am enjoying the ride.
So I run, I train, I crawl out of bed at 5am, I spend my Saturdays running for several hours. I run in every weather condition, I run for fun, I run in pain, I run when happy and when sad. Most runners I see smile and nod. They know. The non runners call me crazy. I accept that. I am on the other side of that line.
Guy Reams
Day 3,232 – Carving the Time
The author reflects on the struggle of consistently achieving meaningful work by focusing on minimum daily accomplishments, which often leads to mediocre results and burnout. They propose a strategy of fiercely protecting early morning hours (5 am to 9 am) as sacrosanct time for personal priorities, emphasizing that defending this time will eventually lead others to respect and accommodate it.
