OCTOBER 31, 2023
I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up. When I was about twelve or thirteen, I only had about three friends that I’d hang out with. That’s because I was a boring guy. I didn’t have new tea or gossip to talk about, or a new crush to fancy over. All I did – most of the time – was provide a listening ear.
Now that I think back on it, I have had more role models and people in my life who inspire me than I have had crushes. And even though it made me boring to my friends, it made me better in the long run and that’s what matters the most to me.
The reason I write about this today is quite uncanny. I was walking down my street today and thought about the time I would hang out on a footbridge in my school every morning, waiting for my best friend to come and update me on all the progress he made on his crush. Then, we’d spend the next twenty minutes being delusional together.
And you know what? There was a base to that delusion. It sounds quite ironic, but it’s the truth. Delusion has a foundation.
The foundation of imagination.
Whether it’s imagining all the wonderful times you’d spend with your crush after making them your partner or the kind of life you’d lead when you get to the level of your role models, it all comes down to the fantasies you play on repeat inside your head.
I still remember how my friend would walk out of his classroom and come towards me, mostly with a smile on his face, and occasionally with a tear down his cheeks. He would share his imagination with me, of how he would be the best boyfriend in the world and everything else that came in between. On those occasional days, he’d cry over the proof that she liked some other guy and I would console him through that heartbreak. Those were tough days, but he’d always be back to smiling at the end of it.
I have had those kinds of days too. Most times, I would wake up with a smile on my face, look at my vision board, and just play back the journeys of my role models. I’d go back to how they dealt with challenges, how they dreamt big, and how I can be just like them. On those occasional days, I often faced some tough challenges and felt like giving up. I would curse myself and think, “How could I be so stupid?”
But just like my friend, I’d be back to getting my hopes high, and my smile back.
All of us go through that journey. Regardless of the aspect or the situation, all of us have that delusion in our lives. The cards are stacked against us, but we still bet on the slimmest of chances. Some think it’s dangerous and unrealistic.
I think it’s beautiful.
To have hope in a place where most would simply give up is special. To keep believing even when there are a million voices inside and outside telling you otherwise is commitment unmatched. And if you can back it up with action and courage, you have a power that makes you unstoppable.
Delusion and blind hope make us seem crazy, but the only place complete rationality will get us to is the comfort zone. Breaking that barrier and unlocking abundance, in our profession, relationships, and even hobbies, requires that hope for it’s the only power that works against the odds. If that makes us crazy, so be it.
Of course, if you just keep hoping and daydreaming through that delusion, nothing will happen. My friend never had the courage to ask his crush out. Now, she has a boyfriend. It is someone else.
As a fourteen-year-old, I always dreamt of becoming an author, of having my own book. That was a crazy dream in itself. But I made it happen. I wrote Explore The New YOU, a book full of anecdotes and strategies for growth and clarity. Do you want to know what’s even crazier? I did that in 50 days.
On October 10, 2020, I didn’t even have an idea for my book, forget a word. Fast forward to December 1st, 2020, Explore The New YOU was published (2 days before my deadline) and was already making its way up the charts.
That is delusion made successful.
If you’re in your twenties, struggling to make ends meet, and dream of becoming a singer-songwriter, don’t give up just yet. You can do it. Take out two hours a day to practice and write your own songs and see where it takes you. If you’re in your forties and wonder whether or not you should make a mid-career shift to something you love, see all the pros and cons, understand the consequences, and if you can bear them, go follow your heart’s calling. And if you want to ask out someone you really really like, do it. You might not get it right the first time, but you eventually will.
It comes down to this: Dream crazy. Do Crazy. Achieve Crazy. After all, that’s what all your role models have done too. Observe their journeys and you will see that hope, that glimmer of light that was shining through their darkest night, and you will start believing in hope once again.
It’s your turn to shine. Be Ready.