I’ve finally fallen in love. No it’s not yet with a woman…but the author, Mark Manson. You probably know him from his 2016 best seller you literally can’t miss on any bookshelf: The Subtle Art or Not Giving a F*ck
It’s not even his words in that book that I’ve fallen for (tho they are quite amazing). It’s actually this article from his website (referenced in the picture), entitled: The Surprising Benefits of Being (Slightly) Crazy. I felt like I was reading a manifesto of our “Crazy Movement” when Stacie pointed this article out to me this morn. Anyone feeling down about what they or loved ones go through or have gone through, please read his words.
I’ve taken what I believe are the most impactful lines from that article and put them below. (I rarely devote a post exclusively to someone else’s words but his stuff is too good). He is so eloquent…and his perspective is spot on. For anyone looking for a shift in perspective on what they’re dealings with: a) Mental Health exists on a spectrum just like how we each are different heights, b) our craziness can be our gift, we just need to learn how to manage those gifts, c) it’s “normal” that within the spectrum, we would all have different quirks and strengths/weaknesses.
Just incredible stuff from him and well worth the read of these quotes, and the article on his site if you can find your way there. Some of it can be a little offensive if you’re sensitive, but try to take in with some thick skin: he even has a line where he describes the “a-hole” business leader who can’t see ppl’s emotions, but he does have a gift that benefits others in the company through his intense focus on numbers.
For now, I’ll be content w this author as the love of my life ;)! He’s that good. Enjoy all.
My favorite lines from the article:
“So the point is, we’re all a little bit crazy, in our own ways. There’s just a spectrum of human behavior, and those with “mental illness” (quotes intended, because this shit is all subjective and is always changing) often lie on the extremes of certain human behaviors.”
“One of the reasons mental disorders are often difficult to define is that many of their characteristics are, in one sense, extreme versions of “normal” traits seen in all of us.”
“Our psychological faculties are like athletic ability or height. Most of us cluster around a stable average height, but there are people at the extremes—some are dwarfs and some are giants. And just as the dwarfs and the giants experience the world much differently than the majority in the middle, the people at the extremes who see the world differently from the majority in the middle also have a very different experience.”
“And those extremes, while usually negative, are the same extremes that result in bursts of creativity and genius. And it’s not a question of getting rid of them, but rather how we manage them.”
“Paradoxically, the same things that should cause these disorders to fall out of the gene pool are the ones that keep them in it. Their biggest handicap is also their biggest advantage. And the same extremes that hinder individuals could be what provides the “tincture of madness” for their genius and creativity. And, in many ways, we all benefit from it.”
“Mental health, in the vast majority of cases, is therefore not a question of “curing” or “fixing” people, but recognizing where the strengths of an extreme brain may lie, while simultaneously learning to cope with its weaknesses.”
“My response is this: Own it. Like any other part of your body, your mind comes pre-packaged with its own advantages and disadvantages. Learn them and use them well. And the way to do that is not through blind conformity or through hiding your idiosyncrasies. It’s through accepting them and then expressing them.”
