“There’s nothing more liberating or intoxicating than being your authentic self in a society designed to fit you into a box” Jesse Elder

Lately I’ve been posting a lot of strange shit on the internet.

I dance. I do karate. I make up languages and scream them at the top of my lungs. I have Troy-chi…..and just wait…I have more on the way.

It’s very easy for someone to think that I’ve lost my mind. I’ve snapped. Drank one too many Ayahuasca cups and we’ve lost Troy off the deep end for good (perhaps?!?!)

In a way I HAVE gone insane. I’ve gone crazy — By accepting, and playing with, my craziness. By learning to immunize myself to the opinions of other people and learn to be my most authentic self I can be.

The reality is I’ve always been this way, it’s only now that I’m putting it out there to the world on display. I’ve finally learned to get rid of my shame and embarrassment, to leave my comfort zone, to accept myself wholly and do the things that bring me joy without worrying about what people think of me.

Now is the first time I’m embracing my crazy/strange/weird and seeing it as a practice to cultivate — an important key to a happy life — rather than something to avoid or be ashamed of.

Truth is, I believe that being crazy/weird/strange/insane is GOOD FOR YOU.

It’s liberating to let go of giving a fuck about what other people think about you. It’s liberating to dive into yourself and let everything go. Let everything loose. Allow yourself to think the thoughts you’ve been resisting. Give yourself the space to let the caged animal out.

It’s therapeutic to dance. To sing. To Laugh like you’re insane. To make weird noises. To act like a child.

I’ve had many tough moments in life where I’ve used these techniques to pull myself out of a funk. Where I use these techniques to let go of anger, frustration, anxiety, doubt. To put things in perspective and be a bit more lighthearted. To suffer with a smile.

And many who try my methods agree with me — it’s liberating.

I believe that we all have A LOT OF CRAZY inside of us.

I just think most of us are afraid to let it out. Afraid to show ourselves just how crazy we can be.

Afraid that…. it might feel good to get crazy. You might like it.

Some of us know exactly where that crazy is. Like a loaded gun it could be triggered at any moment if given the right amount of pressure.

For others we’ve lost our crazy. Don’t have a connection to it and don’t know where to find it.

Either way, it’s inside of us, and it needs to be let out. It needs to be expressed in one way or another.

Moreover, if you know you’re not crazy, why not prove it by getting weird?

Are you scared that by being crazy you might discover some underlying metal illness? That you’re going to somehow trigger a neurological butterfly effect that ripples out and slowly makes you go insane?

Or, are you worried about the opinions of other people? Are you afraid to get crazy because you’re worried about how other people will react to you?

In fact, I’d say there’s a direct correlation between your ability to get weird and how much you struggle with anxiety, self created stress, and depression.

…that sounds pretty crazy to me!

For most people, this is the big one. They can’t get weird because they are self conscious. It’s the fear of how other people will react how other people will judge. Fear of how they might judge themselves for giving in.

Getting weird is a lot like getting naked in front of a stranger. It’s vulnerable. Puts you on display for the world to pick apart.

That vulnerability makes people uncomfortable. The ego wants to protect itself and it will revolt at the idea of allowing our weaknesses to be on display.

But we can overcome this discomfort. We can learn to be comfortable in our own skin. We can practice and build confidence.

And through this process of overcoming our self consciousness, we develop resiliency. Strength. Fortitude.

We develop the ability to overcome our vulnerabilities and become more powerful versions of ourselves.

I believe crazy is the medicine. Crazy is the antidote.

And that’s exactly what I want to help people do. I want to help people find their crazy and use it as a therapeutic tool.

I don’t believe that we should suppress or repress our insanity. I don’t believe that we should reject it from ourselves.

Instead, I believe we need a healthy way to express it. To let it out.

I think we should all cultivate and practice insanity. Find and play with our crazy.

And don’t get me wrong, some people are legitimately batshit crazy out of their minds. Chemical imbalances and schizophrenia and all sorts of other personality disorders.

But I’m talking to the majority of the planet that is perfectly fine and could probably use a little crazy to spice up their day. The people who could chill out and give a few less fucks.

To me, crazy is being debilitated by fear. To freeze in the face of discomfort. To be trapped and paralyzed in your own body, a prisoner to the mind. To be rendered inactive by the opinions and judgements of other people.

I feel like I’ve reached an enlightenment of sorts.To me, society is crazy! But to society, I’m out of my fucking mind!

But in a nutshell, in the same way I meditate every morning, I create space to get crazy every morning. I need to tap into the part of myself that is wild and wacky. I sing, I dance, I make noises, I do whatever I feel a calling to do.

All because of my willingness to not only accept my insanity — but to INTENTIONALLY USE IT TO MAKE MYSELF HAPPY!!!

Now go out there and play with your weirdest, craziest, silliest self 😛

Now how can someone actually practice getting weird? Cultivate it as a skill in the way that I mention?

That’s for another article. For now this one has went on long enough 🙂

Is it the be all end all? Absolutely not. Just one of the tools in the toolkit for how to deal with the unpleasant times life throws your way or how to make your life more enjoyable in the here and now.

Embracing your insanity is fun. It makes life slightly more entertaining. You’ll surprise yourself with what comes out.