“Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. 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.”
- Apple “Think Differently” Ad Campaign
My son-and-law and I were circling back to get our car parked quite a ways from the enormous crowd that had gathered at the Pearl Brewery. We were talking about what a revelation that entire area has become. We talked about the level of both genius and crazy it took to bring about that kind of change. To have that kind of idea.
To see possibility where others see none.
To claim the opportunity missed or maybe just not taken by others.
Ironically, whether it is of a cultural, political, spiritual, or economic nature, most genius is first identified as “crazy”. If you’ll remember from the famous Apple ad quoted above, some of the crazy/geniuses noted were MLK, Bob Dylan, Richard Branson, Einstein, and Frank Lloyd Wright. All changed the world in some way. There were many others.
If we were remaking this 20-year-old commercial today, it might include some of the crazies of our time…the founders of Zappos, Uber, Amazon, or Airbnb. I mean, who will buy shoes or pretty much everything they need online? Who will get in the car of a stranger to take them somewhere or let a stranger stay in their house?
Apparently, pretty much everybody.
They say when the architectural team entered the Pearl for the first time 15 years ago, the main brewery was like a tomb. Mugs of coffee long evaporated on desks. Interoffice memos covered by years of dust. Helmets and jackets still hung in employee lockers. Who could have imagined what that brewery and surrounding area could become?
A crazy person?
A genius?
So, here’s to:
Kit Goldsbury on the 15th anniversary of first walking into a brewery
Apple computers for celebrating the crazy genius that changed the world 20 years ago in their “Think Different” campaign
And Martin Luther, who exactly 500 years ago, October 31, 1517, to be exact, changed the course of church history when he went a little “crazy” and nailed some ideas to a church door.
But also, here’s to many of you “crazies” that broke ranks with conventional wisdom, possibly your parents’ wishes, or maybe even good common sense…and embarked on your own journey to change at least some small part of the world. You launched businesses and organizations that employ many and are changing lives and the broader community.
Cheers!
One of the things I love most about the Lifeplan retreat that we concluded yesterday is we discover that what most of us know as crazy or genius, is actually inspired. That desire to break ranks with the crowd, find a unique way to live, and a particular role to play in changing the world, is straight from the heart of God.
There are things embedded throughout the story of your life, sourced in your deepest desire, and referencing your unique gifting, that is intended to change the world…and make God’s glory better known. It is the treasure in the field that all of us should be willing to risk everything to find.
So here’s to over a dozen new folks who went after it and got some of their “crazy” back!
Consider
Do you have that feeling that there is something more you should be doing with your life?
That maybe God intended something more from the life you’ve been given?
Do you have any deep desires, great hopes, or crazy ideas that you haven’t done anything about?
What would it look like to step into a role that only you were intended to play?