Are You the Good Kind of Crazy?

Last Friday I was talking on the phone with a potential new client, and she asked me to check out their website. About halfway down the page, it read “We’re the Good Kind of Crazy.” I laughed out loud and immediately felt a connection with this person. I also got a warm fuzzy feeling about her company. I wanted to work with her because of this single sentence.

Fly Your Freak Flag High and Be Proud!

Later I thought I about why that one line resonated with me. You don’t see many ad agencies calling themselves crazy on their website. Usually, they are stuffed full of boring and professional sound bites that don’t say or mean much. This company stood out because they were brave enough to fly their freak flag high proudly. I am like that too.

No one has ever accused me of being “normal,” ordinary or anything close to like everyone else. I have always colored outside the lines. In fact, I usually draw my own lines; it’s what makes me good at the things I do. When people describe me, they use the word, “unique” to be polite instead of just calling it what it is; crazy. Crazy can mean many things, but to me, it means being an individual, not following the same path as anyone else. I have never felt much of a pull to fit in or be like the crowd. I don’t go out of my way not to be, but it just seems to work out that way.

Don’t Listen to the Crowd, Be Who You Were Meant to Be

In the winter, I wear a full-length, bright pink, down coat. I love that coat. Some well-intentioned friends have tried to persuade me to tone it down and buy a more suitable color. No! I like pink; I wear pink. My daughter is a member of the Millennial generation. It is sad how lost they are. They feel such a strong need to belong, and fit in, and be like everyone else. I am grateful that I never felt that way. However, my commitment to my individuality has not always made my daughter’s life easy. She HATES my big pink coat. To her, it’s like I am walking around with my underwear on my head. Poor kid.

Fitting In is Harder Than it Looks

I can guarantee you, people you know that do fit in and always seem to do and say the right things, are nowhere near as perfect as they seem. They are probably much bigger messes than anyone will ever know. But, they are good at hiding it. Trying to be what you aren’t is like trying to hold the lid onto something that is about to explode. At some point, it has to give. It’s very stressful and hard to be something you are not.

So why do so many of us feel the need to be like everyone else?

You Aren’t Meant to Be Anyone Else But You

We are born individuals. That word means something. We aren’t expected to be the same, think the same, dress the same, or feel the same. We are each supposed to follow our own distinct path, and instead of hiding our uniqueness, we should be embracing it. I sure as heck do. I love it that I grew up playing bows and arrows instead of dolls and that I wear so much bright pink people think I don’t own anything else. It’s great that I have a diverse background and nothing about me makes any sense; it makes me interesting. I love all my quirks, they make me who I am, and I like who I am. Believe me, plenty of family and friends often give me that “look,” meaning they think I am crazy. It makes no sense to hide it; I am proud of being nutty. Everyone else is so busy trying to be professional and respected; I am totally ok being odd. It’s so much easier than trying to fit my round peg into a square hole.

So I guess the bottom line is the “good kind of crazy” just means you aren’t afraid to be who you are. You feel comfortable showing the world the real you without shame or guilt. We should all be that good kind of crazy. We would all be much happier, that is for sure!