Less Rationality, More Delusion and Audacity

My friend shared this quote with me the other day, and it stopped me cold: "All you need is some delusion and audacity, and you can seriously do anything in this life."

I had to sit with it for a minute, because the truth hit me immediately. I realized that my tendency toward rationality has been holding me back. For most of my life, I've approached things logically, carefully, and cautiously. Every decision has been analyzed from every angle, and I've weighed every risk against its potential downsides. I thought that's what responsible adults do to keep from making mistakes.

But what if that's exactly what's keeping me stuck? What if I need less reason and more delusion? Embracing delusion and audacity can free us from the shackles of overthinking, allowing us to take bold steps towards our goals.

Rationality as a Cage

Being logical can be beneficial, and at times it truly is. However, for me, it has become a cage. I tend to overthink everything. Every opportunity gets dissected before I even attempt it. Every idea is subjected to a barrage of "what ifs." What if it doesn't work? What if I'm not ready? What if people think I'm in over my head?

Rationality urges you to wait until you're ready, until it makes sense, until the odds are better, and until you have more experience, more evidence, and more certainty. The problem is that this moment never comes.

You find yourself trapped by analysis paralysis. You know what you want to achieve, and you understand what could bring about change. However, your mind convinces you to hesitate before you even begin. As a result, your dreams get put on hold, opportunities slip away, and you end up living a cautious life that isn't entirely fulfilling.

I often reflect on the times I've talked myself out of opportunities. There were job openings I didn't apply for because I didn't meet all the requirements. I held back from posting content because it wasn't perfect yet. I avoided conversations because I doubted whether I had the right words. What could have happened if I had just taken the chance? I will never know, because while being rational kept me safe, it also limited my potential.

The Reality Distortion Field

Steve Jobs had what his team called a reality distortion field. He insisted that things were possible, even when others argued they could not be done. He set seemingly impossible deadlines and demanded features that did not yet exist. When his engineers pushed back, explaining the technical reasons why something wouldn't work, they ultimately found a way to make it happen.

That's productive delusion. Productive delusion is believing so strongly in what could be that you reshape reality to fit your vision. It's important to recognize that Jobs wasn't ignoring reality. Instead, he refused to accept limitations as permanent. He prioritized his vision and then determined how to achieve it. His delusion wasn't reckless. It was strategic. It empowered people to surpass their perceived possibilities, and it can do the same for you.

This concept constantly draws me in. You may not need a reality distortion field to design the next iPhone, but you do need it to create the life you truly want. Stop accepting limitations as final. Start believing in what's possible, then build the bridge to get there.

The Power of Delusion

We need to reframe what "delusion" even means. Delusion isn't ignoring reality. It's choosing to believe in yourself before you have proof. It's the audacity to think "I can do this" when logic says you're not qualified yet. It's starting before you're ready, creating before it's perfect, and moving before you have all the answers.

If we could inject that kind of delusion into our lives, here's what could shift:

Career Without Ceilings

Believe You're qualified for the next level before anyone else does. Speak up in meetings like you belong there. Don't wait for someone to tap you on the shoulder and say "You're ready now." That promotion you've been eyeing? Apply for it even if you only meet 60% of the requirements. That project that feels too big? Volunteer to lead it anyway. Stop waiting for permission to step into the role you know you can grow into.

Content That Matters

Create without worrying about engagement first. Hit publish on that blog post even if it's not perfectly polished. Go live on Twitch even if only three people show up. Share your thoughts on LinkedIn without stressing about likes. Stop waiting for the perfect moment or the perfect draft. The world doesn't need more perfection. It requires more authenticity. Your voice has value before the algorithm validates it.

Financial Courage

Take strategic risks. Invest in yourself even when it's uncomfortable. Trust that you can figure it out instead of only making moves when the math is perfect. Sign up for that course that could level up your skills. Invest in the tools that will help you create better work. Say yes to opportunities that stretch your budget but could change your trajectory. You've figured out money problems before. You'll figure them out again.

Relationships Without Masks

Show up fully without fear of rejection. Trust that you're worth being seen, even the messy parts. Stop hiding the things that make you different. Share what you're actually thinking instead of what you think people want to hear. Be honest about what you need. The right people will stay. The wrong ones would have left eventually anyway.

Growth Without Limits

Go all in on therapy, healing, transformation. Believe that change is actually possible for you, not just something you read about other people doing. Book that therapy appointment you've been putting off. Start the morning routine you know would help. Make the complex changes you've been avoiding. You're not too far gone. You're not a lost cause. Growth is possible at any stage.

If we could stop overthinking and believe, what becomes possible?

The Power of Audacity

Audacity is different, but it works together with delusion. Audacity is having the nerve to try even when you're scared. It's not waiting for permission. It's not shrinking to make others comfortable. It's stepping into rooms, opportunities, and risks that feel too big. It's about finding the courage to leap, even when it seems daunting.

Here's what audacity could look like in practice:

Career Moves

Pursue leadership roles you don't feel ready for. Take on projects that stretch you. Raise your hand when you'd normally stay quiet. When they ask for volunteers, be the first one. When a meeting goes silent, be the one to speak. When an opportunity opens up, apply before you talk yourself out of it. The people who seem confident? They're just moving before the fear can stop them.

Creative Risks

Build in public. Share work that feels vulnerable. Stream consistently, even when the viewer count is low. Post even when you're scared it's not good enough. Launch that project before it's perfect. Share your process, not just your results. Let people see you learning in real time. The content that feels too raw, too honest, too unpolished? That's usually the content that resonates most.

Financial Decisions

Make bold moves instead of always playing defense. Say yes to investing in yourself, even when it feels risky. Stop only saving and start strategically spending on things that could multiply your income. Take the consulting gig even if it's outside your comfort zone. Negotiate for what you're worth instead of accepting the first offer. Playing it safe financially often means staying exactly where you are.

Personal Boundaries

Say no without guilt. Protect your peace even when it's uncomfortable. Don't explain yourself into the ground every time you set a limit. You don't owe everyone an explanation. You don't have to justify your boundaries. You don't have to make yourself smaller so others feel bigger. "No" is a complete sentence. Use it more.

Bring Your Full Self

Don't code-switch. Don't perform. Show up as your whole self, even when that makes people uncomfortable. Trust that the right people will get it. Stop editing yourself in professional spaces. Stop dimming your personality to fit in. Stop hiding the parts of you that don't fit the mold. The energy you spend trying to be palatable could be spent actually being excellent.

If you had the audacity to stop waiting and just move, where would you be right now?

Fear Beneath the Logic

You know what you want and what you should do, but rationality keeps holding you back. There's always a reason to wait, a logical explanation for why now isn't the right time, or a risk that seems too significant to take.

Beneath all that logic lies fear. What if you fail? What if you're not as capable as you think? What if people judge you? What if you lose what you've built? What if you're wrong?

These fears are real, and we're not ignoring them. But here's the truth: you could survive the worst-case scenario. You've overcome worse situations before. You've restarted when you had less than you do now. Rationality may protect you from those fears, but it also prevents you from discovering what you're truly capable of.

Building Your Own Reality Distortion Field

To be clear, this process isn't about flipping a switch. You won't wake up tomorrow suddenly fearless and delusional in all the right ways. However, you can improve through small steps and consistent choices.

Choose Belief Over Doubt

When rationality tells you to "wait," learn to ask yourself, "What if I just tried?" This is the foundational shift. Every time your brain starts listing reasons why something won't work, interrupt that pattern and ask a different question. Instead of "what could go wrong?" ask "what if it actually works?" Rather than "am I ready?" ask "what if I just start?" The voice of doubt will always be there. You're just choosing not to let it make the final call.

Take One Bold Step

Even when it scares you. Even when it doesn't make perfect sense. Take one move that's bigger than you're comfortable with. This week, do one thing that makes you nervous. Apply for something you don't feel qualified for. Post something you've been sitting on. Have a conversation you've been avoiding. Start the project you've been planning for months. Just one bold move. That's all. Build the muscle.

Create Without Permission

Post, share, build without needing validation first. Trust that your work has value even if it's not perfect. Stop waiting for someone to tell you it's good enough. Stop workshopping everything to death. Stop asking for permission to take up space. Make the thing. Share the thing. Let the world decide if it resonates. You'll learn more from publishing imperfect work than from perfecting work that never sees the light.

Speak Up

In meetings. In relationships. In spaces where you usually stay quiet. Use your voice like it matters. That idea you have in the meeting? Say it. That boundary you need to set? Set it. That opinion you've been holding back? Share it. Your silence isn't protecting you. It's just keeping you invisible. And you didn't come this far to stay invisible.

Invest in Yourself

Even when it's uncomfortable. Even when the return on investment isn't clear yet. Bet on your own potential. Buy the course. Hire the coach. Upgrade the equipment. Take the trip that will change your perspective. Spend money on things that will make you better, even when the spreadsheet says wait. You are your best investment. Act like it.

Believe Before Proving

Like Jobs, decide something is possible and then figure out how to make it real. This is the ultimate reality distortion move. Decide what you want to be true. Then reverse engineer the path to make it happen. Don't wait for proof that you can do it. Believe it first. Then let that belief pull you forward into the work that makes it real.

The goal isn't perfection. The goal is momentum. Some days you'll have it. Some days you won't. But the more you practice, the more natural it becomes. Rationality will always be there. But maybe it doesn't have to be in the driver's seat anymore.

The Permission I'm Giving Myself

I've been rational my whole life. It's kept me safe. It's helped me make smart decisions. It's protected me from a lot of unnecessary pain. But it's also kept me stuck.

Steve Jobs bent reality by believing first. I can do the same for my own life. Not for building iPhones, but for creating the version of myself I've been too scared to try. Maybe it's time to be a little delusional. To believe in myself without needing proof first. Maybe it's time to have some audacity. To step into spaces I've been avoiding because I didn't think I was ready yet.

I don't need to have it all figured out. I need to start.

So here's what I'm doing. I'm building my own reality distortion field. One choice at a time. One bold move at a time. One moment of belief over doubt.

And if you're reading this and you've been overthinking your next move, here's your sign. Stop thinking. Start moving. You might surprise yourself.