How do I find my crazy?

I keep telling people. Feed your crazy. Quite often I get the questions “What is Feed Your Crazy”, “What does that mean?”. So I’ve spent considerable time trying to distill that down, and make is an easy answer. My experience is some people just get it. Some people need to hear it explained. And some people don’t ever really understand it and despite my best efforts stand there looking at me like I’m, well, crazy.

But recently I got a new question. “How do I find my crazy?”

Now that’s a good question. Because finding your crazy can be a life altering experience. Not to say that it will change everything about your life, but understanding how you challenge yourself, recharge, etc can make life a better experience. And that’s really the point I guess. Life isn’t about just getting by, being comfortable, or gliding through. Life is a knockdown, drag out, push you to your limits and more kind of an experience. And you need to make time to recharge yourself in order to present your best face when overcoming challenges you may experience.

Feed Your Crazy may mean slightly different things to people. So here’s my stab at it. Sometimes my words may be clumsy, and imperfect. My examples may not resonate with everyone. So listen to the spirit of what I am trying to say. Please don’t like so much of popular media, get hung up on every little contradiction, nuance, or extraneous variable. In some instances I’m trying to explain what the sun feels like on a cool morning. “Warm” doesn’t really cut it. So I have to get creative.

I ran for several years before  “Feed Your Crazy” became a thing. But the benefits were noticeable right off the bat. If you are looking for your “crazy” – consider these factors.

It has to be physically challenging. Huge caveat, this is different for everyone. I’m an ultra runner. Feed Your Crazy’s cofounder – Ricki is a kickboxing and fitness instructor, and knows how to hit the gym harder than just about anyone I’ve ever seen. It’s safe to say that we are both a little extreme. And not everyone has to do what we do. The challenge can come in the form of the time spent, the effort made, or the sacrifice made to simply get out and do it. Researchers have been trying to explain the connection between “wellness” and getting out and getting exercise. It’s chemical, it’s hormonal, its …. Well, you get the point. There are 101 reasons why exercise is good for you. I get a physical and mental thrill thinking about setting out before sunrise and spending 8-10 hours grinding across the mountains. Sometimes it’s tough, sometimes it is painful, and sometimes I question why I’m there. But when I finish, I feel that same overwhelming sense of accomplishment. The very same sense of accomplishment that someone may feel closing a big business deal, building something, or launching a business. But I personally feel that the chemical, hormonal, humans systems thank us when we are physically active. Combine that with the rush you get from accomplishing something. Bang! Happiness points. Wellness points. Satisfaction points. And I’m not advocating for an ever expanding increase in training, mileage, or anything else. I can run a 100 mile race. But some days, I feel accomplished by simply getting out for that 3 mile run. It’s enough to get my systems going, and mentally allow me to say that I set a priority of getting my training in, and I got it.

     

It has to allow you to grow. Physically, spiritually, mentally. Growth fuels the fire. Growth starts right up front. When you take on something new you have to learn new skills, new understanding, build muscle, coordination, etc. And growth is often painful. Difficult, and at times disheartening. Why the heck am I advocating it? Because complacency, comfort, offers individuals very little. It offers you safety. You don’t risk failure, you don’t risk pain. But at the same time, if you don’t push yourself, you risk never growing. You risk never succeeding. You risk never accomplishing anything. Complacency and comfort is a growing portion of our population. We want ease. We want to simply get by and not have to stress. But physical sciences show muscles grow under stress. When we take on something new, we get better at it. The task doesn’t change. We grow, develop, evolve, so that we can handle it. I remember my first 8 mile run. I was ecstatic! I just ran 8 miles, it was unreal. I hurt for 3 days. Now 8 miles is just something that I do. And that allows me to enjoy it, use that time for mental relaxation, thinking, enjoying my surroundings, and go new places. One of the reasons I love trail running is because I can get to a trailhead after work, get to a local summit and back to my car before dark. I can see places that you can only get to if you are a back country backpacker. And I can do it in a day, but that’s not to say that it is easy.

When you finish it, you can be physically exhausted, strained to the breaking point, but you are recharged mentally. Ok folks. Here is the real kicker. There are a lot of people who train, work out, and tackle physical challenges. What is the difference between someone who feeds their crazy vs just training? When you finish a workout, you are exhausted. Physically because you just trained, but mentally because you didn’t like it, didn’t find joy in it, didn’t enjoy the challenge of it, and had to force yourself to do it. These people consume their willpower and happiness just trying to get their workout in.  When you feed your crazy you find yourself smiling at the challenge, laughing at the pain, and accepting that it may suck at times, but when you are finished you’re just itching to high five someone because you just rocked it. You come back from the challenge recharged and invigorated. Sometimes a workout is just that, a workout. But the goal, the evolution is to come to understand that the physical effort, the challenge is an evolution that you will come to appreciate because of what it gives you.

But Bard. How do I find my crazy? I’ll tell you where you won’t find it. On your couch. Or at your computer. Sit up, look around, and try something. Since I run, and I advocate for it (rather obnoxiously at times), I have had several friends start to run. We go through the typical coaching phases of getting them started, building up, and eventually toeing the line of an event. Some friends have stuck with it. Some have run marathons, and said “you know what. That was good. But I’m really more of a half marathon kind of person.” Some have stopped running altogether. And you know what? I think that is a mature approach. If you really don’t feel it. If you aren’t recharged by the physical nature of it, the challenge of it, then you should be doing something else. There are so many excellent options out there. Need a list? Run, ride, mountain bike, walk, hike, crossfit, lift at your local gym, swim, get really crazy and combine sports, triathlon (you know what I’m talking about), tennis, racquetball, adventure races, obstacle races….. you getting the picture.
I can’t tell you what your crazy is. But I can give you the litmus test.

a.       Does it get you up and get you going? The body is designed to move, and regardless of what level helps you, movement is good.

b.      Do you feel challenged? Can you grow? Can you improve? Do you enjoy the fact that you can improve?

c.       Perhaps most important - when you are done. Are you recharged? Not each and every time. But does your involvement in the activity make you a better person, a happy person? When I finish a 10 hour run in the Rocky Mountains, I may be physically shot. But I always come home with a big smile on my face. I feel happier, I feel nicer, I feel better.

Think back to being a kid. Come on, it may be difficult, but those memories are there. Did you enjoy the feeling of running through a field? Did you love the adrenaline of pedaling your bike as fast as you could? Did you love the challenge of climbing that rope? Moving a rock that no one else was strong enough to move? Get out and try some things.

Mentors. Find someone who gets it. Enthusiasm is infectious. Find someone who loves to lift in the gym. Go with them and experience their energy. Does it resonate with you? Ask a runner if they would go running with you. Have them share their experiences with you. Does it kindle something deep down?

Adults don’t get to have simple fun. We look for ever more complex forms of entertainment. But the simplicity of physical movement is rooted so deep down within our souls that something cheers when we face that challenge and risk growth. So start simple. Pick an activity you think you like. Give it a try. If it is tough at first, that's ok. Enjoy the challenge. As you develop do you find yourself looking forward to your time doing that activity? Does it recharge you mentally? Does it help you be a better person? If you find that you struggle to do it, and burn all your resources to force yourself to go do it, keep looking. But don't give up. It's out there. It's waiting. Your crazy.