Why Delusion Works

Reality pays you back in equal proportion to your delusion

Successful people tend to be delusional. Not everyone believes in them at first, but they're not deterred. They keep trying, eventually achieve success, and people come around. Ignorance, on the other hand, is ripe for failure. Ignorant people are rigid. They won't listen. They pound their chest and get nowhere.

But, of course, it begs the question if there is a true difference between those who are delusional and those who are ignorant. Calling someone delusional or ignorant would seem to accomplish the same goal on the surface. But there is more to it. There is a level of innocence to delusion. Those who are delusional believe in something despite it being considered irrational and not endorsed by others. As innocence implies, most of what makes it delusional is rooted in inexperience but it doesn’t come with intentional wrongdoing.

On the other hand, ignorance is rude. It is an intentional disregard of the facts and a refusal to listen, an unrelenting commitment to the belief despite all evidence proving otherwise. But for delusional people that is not true.  

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I can't think of anyone more delusional than Sha'Carri Richardson and Anthony Edwards. When you ask about their belief in themselves, they not only speak proudly of their abilities but talk with an almost cocky tone. Are they the best to ever do it? Not yet, but if there is a conversation about it, they think they deserve to be in it.

Sha’Carri Richardson has always had a delusional belief in herself. This is her first Olympic Games appearance after an untimely failed drug test, thanks to cannabis, the last Olympic cycle. As a result of missing out on the last Olympics she says,

“I’m not back. I’m better.” And she has at other times said, “I just want the world to know that I’m THAT girl.”

Anthony Edwards, a member of The United States Olympic Basketball Team, was asked how he fits in with Team USA,

“I’m still the number one option. Y’all might look at it differently… They’ve got to fit in around me. That’s how I feel.”

Mind you, this is a team with the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant. That trio has been named to the All-NBA First Team a combined 23 times and has 44 combined All-Star appearances. Edwards has never made the All-NBA First Team and has been an All-Star twice.

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Some might say, delusional. Despite not yet reaching the pinnacle of their careers, it is the same with most successful people. There is no one who believes in them more than themselves. Sam Altman puts it well,

“The most successful people I know believe in themselves almost to the point of delusion.”

The confidence isn’t born out of mere ignorance, there is proof of work, no matter how small, that supports them in eventually attaining success with enough resilience. On the contrary, ignorant people ignore all opposing evidence. When they make such claims, they have nothing to base it on. It is best not to point out conflicting evidence because they simply won’t listen.

The reason why the two get confused is they both have unwavering beliefs, often in themselves. They are different, however. Delusional people believe they can solve a problem. They innovate, keep a positive morale, use different methods, but most importantly, they never give up and don’t resist change. They are constantly looking for ways to be better and accepting new feedback as it comes. Ignorant people believe they can solve a problem but brute force their way through the issue staying rooted in their own beliefs, unwilling to change with new evidence. It is their way or the highway. Their minds won’t change but their morale certainly will.

The scary part is ignorance works at first. They won’t quit. Ignorance gets you over initial hurdles. It is driven by a commitment that goes beyond many others but that is good until a point. Eventually, they should reach a point where they are no longer ignorant. But their refusal to accept new clues leads them to become associated with being rude and resisting. 

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Past delusional people being open to change and accepting new evidence, they are infused with self-optimism. They are resilient in their belief in themselves. They believe they can do almost anything. Setbacks don’t kill their morale. Ignorant people are rooted in their minds, delusional people are rooted in their morale.

Setbacks are inevitable and they understand that, see Sha’Carri Richardson. She broke the World Championship record on her way to gold last year and has the fastest 100m time this year. She never stopped believing in herself despite the roadblocks. The wildly inaccurate self-evaluations help delusional people through rough times and keep them motivated when times are good. It is crazy how far delusion can carry you.

When you examine what makes someone delusional, it doesn’t at all involve ignorance. It is much more. They keep a positive morale, remain unwavering in their belief - typically of themselves, are open-minded, resilient, and are unrelenting towards a goal. This might seem like ignorance at the surface level. But they are rooted in their morale around their goal, not their mind. Instead of merely resisting change, they are driven towards the goal by an infectious energy and tenacity, through paths discovered by big dreams and maximized by experience. 

It is not surprising that successful people are delusional. It is not surprising why people who change the world, change the world. As Steve Jobs says,

“Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

And why should we be delusional about our beliefs, most importantly our faith in ourselves? Why should we believe we can be successful, change the world, win Olympic gold, or be the best basketball player in the world?

Throughout human history there have been periods in which we bore seemingly crushing loads, overcame insurmountable obstacles, and slogged through what seemed like numbing drudgery. We share something amazing with those who have done that. Should we experience the same and be tested at the levels of those before us, one thing is sure: We will be resilient. We have a delusional belief we can make it happen.

Appreciate you reading. Tap the like if you enjoyed.

-Scantron