Mucho too much

I am surrounded by so many extraordinary people that sometimes it's hard to even notice them at all.  Many of my friends and coworkers are what I call "the full package" type personalities, folks that are well-intentioned, hard working, positive and intelligent. Healthy minds in healthy bodies. Most of them are family people and all of them are grounded by something larger than themselves. These are folks that are fun to be with and whose contact lifts up your spirit.  

One of my coworkers is an ultra-endurance swimmer.  He crossed the English Channel in just over 13 and a half hours.  Just think of doing something non stop for this long.  Lying in bed may become difficult after 8, surely a chore after 13 hours.

He tells you about his adventure in the link below if you are interested:

http://www.markswims.com/2010/08/ray-gandy-in-his-own-words.html

People that have developed some special skill seem to have this powerful calm about them.  I have learned to pick them out just by their demeanor. 

When those folks talk to other people about their activities, the comment they get is a version of  "Sure, doing X is good, but isn't the X you do just TOO MUCH?".  They don't defend what they do, I think they are used to this reaction.  

Most of the good things in life, from art to medicine and technology have been developed by people that took their skill to their limits.  You could say that Shakespeare just was too obsessed about his writing, Einstein about is physics and so on.

It is our non-average pursuits that define us and make us who we are.  

The military takes the "too much approach" and makes it into an art form.  Better training, better tools, better mindset.  Too much, to be effective in the long run, has to be grounded and follow a methodical, well thought out approach. This is the difference between achieving excellence and falling pray to an obsession.  Once you have a method to your madness, you can safely embrace excess and it will become the source of your personal distinctiveness.

Mucho too much is never enough, is where all the good stuff comes from.