Here’s to the Crazy Ones
The very tolerant Wallace thinks about joining the swim team - 2021
Here’s to the crazy ones. It’s an Apple commercial that originally aired in 1997 but is still relevant today. Because after several decades on this planet, I can see that, in some way, most of us are a little crazy. We don’t always want it to be known, but the truth is, none of us is conventional.
Growing up, we were the family being raised by a single mom. While this is more mainstream today, this was less common in the late 60s and early 70s. We were often late to Sunday Mass, distracting the congregation while we found our seats at the back of the church. The three of us kids argued about something or other, racing to get the best seat, or be the first to grab a hymnal, oblivious to the fact that we were meant to be quiet and respectful. My mom shushed us as best she could, but it was all in vain. We tripped over kneelers, dropped our songbooks, and generally embarrassed my mom to no end.
In college, I majored in Chemical Engineering, where 95% of the Engineering student population was male. Having been raised in New York, hair and make-up were not a priority, while the rest of the Texas female population saw things differently. I got used to being the odd one, the one who didn’t fit in.
Early in my career, I felt pressure to conform, to excel within a given box or job description. Anything that didn’t quite fit was put away on the back burner, relegated to hobbies, or just not expressed for the time being. I tried so hard to fit in and be the perfect employee. While it worked for a while, I was exhausting myself.
For me, fitting in was like taking an air-filled beach ball and holding it underwater. It works for a while until it doesn’t. Then it comes flying back up in the worst way.
It wasn’t until years later that I started allowing more of myself to come to work.
It started with asking more questions and being less perfect. This opened the door to many new relationships. People appreciated being around someone who allowed themselves to be more vulnerable.
It continued when I focused more on relationships and less on the work. While the work still needed to get done, I couldn’t do it alone. The more I invested in my relationships, the easier things became and the better the work results.
Finally, I started sharing more of my ‘out-of-the-box’ characteristics. I love fonts. I’m an introvert. I geek out at libraries. I don’t like cheesecake. I don’t drink coffee. I would rather go to an art museum than a sporting event. I would rather stay home and read than go to a party. Sharing more of who I was with my colleagues gave them space to share more of who they were. We found places where we agreed, and others where we didn’t. But it allowed us to connect on a more human level and enriched our relationships.
“So, 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. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About 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 people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” —- Steve Jobs.
What are your thoughts on being different?
How do you share your humanity with others?
What does your freak flag look like?
The sand car! Galveston Beach, 1982