What drives me?

People often ask me why I do the crazy things I do, so I thought I would take a moment to try and explain what drives me. What me vehicle is...

The evil power of 'BUT'…
The general response from people that I talk to about the ‘Have Bear Will Run’ campaigns and the adventures I attempt is often a mixture of surprise, confusion and humour. 
 
“What are you thinking!?”
“How do you organise something like that??”
“What made you come up with an idea like that…?”

And all of these are realistic questions.
What I struggle to understand is why this campaign is seen as a novelty by so many people. Yes, it is different to the ‘usual’ activities someone might undertake in their spare time but the concept should not be.

I will openly admit that I am somewhat strange when it comes to cerebral predictability. While it can be a curse at times, more often than not I see it as an advantage that my mind seems to wander down paths of abnormal creativity. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying in any way that this is a talent or a skill but what I do enjoy about the way my headspace works is that it is the source of endless possibilities.

“Being realistic is the most commonly travelled road to mediocrity”. 
Will Smith

Too often we use the word ‘but’ as the all encompassing acceptable excuse in life. It’s the ‘get out of jail’ card that is rarely questioned by others and more disappointingly, rarely question by us. 

"I was going to do that event ‘but’ I got caught up planning this or that…"
"I meant to go for a run today ‘but’ I got snowed under at work…"
"I would travel there too ‘but’ I need to save and plan it all first…"
 
‘But’ is a dream killer; we use it to build a case, convincing ourselves that it’s OK not to achieve something - even something small. 
‘But’ will validate your inaction. It is an argument for our limitations. And when we argue for our limitations – we get to keep them!

For the purpose of genuine comprehension I am going to repeat that so it sinks in properly. 

‘But’ is a dream killer. We use it to build a case, convincing ourselves that it’s OK to not achieve something - even something small. 
‘But’ will validate your inaction. It is an argument for our limitations. And when we argue for our limitations – we get to keep them!
 
As an individual, I am nothing special. I am not an elite athlete (my marathon times will attest to that). I am not Richard Branson (my bank account will attest to that!). What I am, is someone who does not want to die wondering. Every crazy idea, every silly plan, every extension of taking something ordinary, like a family picnic or a dinner party or a bus ride to work, is an opportunity to look at things differently and make them extraordinary. 

People don’t have to run around Australia to get the most out of life. All they have to do is stop using the word ‘but’ and practise a little abnormal creativity.

Sermon over.