Crazy ideas do not always mean a ticket to the Grammys. But maybe tickets to the Grammys only come to those who first chased a crazy idea.

Same goes for the Oscar winner, the moon-walker, the airplane-flier, the actor, the president, the single mom with a little book about a boy wizard named Harry.

And then there was the pregnant virgin, the shepherd king, the baby savior, the clear water turning merlot red while the guests laughed and danced into the night.

And then there is you. What is your moon, your airplane, your boy-wizard book?

What is your brave lyric, your odd first chapter, your new business motto? What is your crazy idea?

No, not your perfect idea. Not your logical, well-planned, power-pointed practical idea. There is a place for those, too.

What is your crazy idea and what should you do with it? Maybe you should chase it.

If people say your dreams are crazy,
If they laugh at what you think you can do,
Good.
Stay that way.
Because what non-believers fail to understand is that calling a dream crazy is not an insult.
It’s a compliment.
Don’t try to be the fastest runner in your school.
Or the fastest in the world.
Be the fastest ever.
Don’t picture yourself wearing OBJ’s jersey.
Picture OBJ wearing yours.
Don’t settle for homecoming queen or linebacker.
Do both.
Lose 120 pounds and become an Ironman after beating a brain tumor.
Don’t believe you have to be like anybody to be somebody.
If you’re born a refugee, don’t let that stop you from playing soccer.
For the national team.
At age 16.
Don’t become the best basketball player on the planet.
Be bigger than basketball.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.
When they talk about the greatest team in the history of the sport, make sure it’s your team.
If you have only one hand, don’t just watch football.
Play it.
At the highest level.
And if you’re a girl from Compton, don’t just become a tennis player.
Become the greatest athlete ever.
Yeah, that’s more like it.
So don’t ask if your dreams are crazy.
Ask if they’re crazy enough.

If we show emotion, we’re called dramatic.
If we want to play against men, we’re nuts.
And if we dream of equal opportunity, we’re delusional.
When we stand for something, we’re unhinged.
When we’re too good, there’s something wrong with us.
And if we get angry, we’re hysterical, irrational, or just being crazy.
But a woman running a marathon was crazy.
A woman boxing was crazy.
A woman dunking, crazy.
Coaching an NBA team, crazy.
A woman competing in a hijab,
changing her sport,
landing a double-cork 1080,
or winning 23 grand slams,
having a baby, and then coming back for more.
Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, and crazy.
So if they want to call you crazy, fine.
Show them what crazy can do.
It’s only crazy until you do it.
Just do it.