I had the pleasure of observing two very intense individuals yesterday. This is after I listen to a podcast on giving permission to one’s self to do less. Stark difference obviously. But I can’t help but be curious where this intensity springs from and if I had it in me too. Some call it being in a state of flow, when you are hyper focused and driven to maximum performance. A different kind of energy fills the room, a relentless and heightened one. The challenge seems to be the fuel, the thrill of the chase in the race to the top. These guys don’t seem to have a middle ground. It’s either 110% or nothing. 

I think each one of us is capable of this intensity, it just manifests in different ways. Some embrace it fully at the expense of being called eccentric, too much to handle or even an asshole. Others redirect it in hobbies or sports. But some choose to bury it and consider this a dark part of themselves that they’d rather keep quiet. This intensity might actually be creativity waiting to come to life, hoping that each one of us accepts our role as makers and shapers of what we choose to do. 

I’ve always been drawn to those who create and who build. I actually like the outliers who stay at the fringes. I’m relatively stable by nature and so I just love living vicariously through them. I like being surrounded by these types as a reminder to keep my own creativity burning and to not be afraid to live on the edge too. Standing beyond one’s comfort zone is the only way to live fully, with intention and intensity.