Are you crazy?

      What in the world are you doing? is a question I get a lot. Where most people may take this as an insult, I look at it like a complement. I'll be the first to say it, I am crazy, but isn't that what it takes. I just say most people aren't crazy enough. I think sometimes people mistake crazy for passionate. It just seems hard to me to do to things well without being passionate about them. When I think about the great things that people have done throughout history, passion seems to be the secret ingredient. Anything that is worth doing, is worth doing well. 
      I am a little bit of a fitness maniac. My neighbors all think I'm insane and who can blame them? Who runs up and down the road with a 60lb punching bag over their shoulder or drags a tire up their driveway with weights in it? Well, I do, but I'm crazy, remember? One time, my neighbor across the road came over to check on me because he was afraid I was going to have a heart attack. I love it though. It's who I am. I love to sweat and be out of breath. It means a lot to me. I find it as a spiritual experience sometimes when I don't think I can finish and somehow I do. The pain lets me feel alive. It always goes away and it is always worth it. I think on this verse a lot: Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
(Romans 5:3-5 ESV)

      I wish I would, but I don't always carry this attitude to my work. Imagine if we all went to work everyday and were as passionate about our job as we are our hobbies. What if we put our WHOLE self in? It's a lot easier to do things when you have a reason. Give yourself a reason. If it would save someone's life for you to lose 20 pounds, you'd probably have no problem stepping on a treadmill. List the top ten things you like about your job and focus on that. The things you don't like probably get in the way of the things you do. Those things are part of the process. You probably HAVE to do them. Instead of hating them or putting them off, do them first and build some character.You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat the mundane parts of their life.

       Most importantly, you have to be intentional with your actions. Don't let things sneak up on you. Plan your day out and control what happens. I know it's not easy, but nothing worth doing is.If it was, we'd all be living the life we wanted. Just try it one time and see if it helps. Self control is a beautiful thing. I fight it all the time; that little voice in my head telling me it's ok to eat bad or skip a workout. I let little things get in the way of what is really important. I have to remind myself all the time to put the first things first. Live your life in control. You may have to get a little crazy.

      What are you crazy about?