A friend recently said something that at first sounded more funny than profound.
We were sitting on a terrace with a glass of wine, chatting about work, plans, and where life was taking us. These talks often reach a point where people get a bit more honest than they would in daylight. That’s how we ended up discussing how hard it can be to truly believe that what we’re doing will actually work out someday.
My friend leaned back and said, “To succeed, you’ve got to be a little out there.”
He actually used the word delusional, which is tricky to translate — it’s more than just determination and grit; there’s a hint of a dreamy, slightly crazy vibe in it.
By then, we’d had a couple of glasses of wine, so I laughed it off and didn’t take it too seriously.
But somehow, that phrase stuck with me. And the more I thought about it over the next few days, the more I felt he was onto something.
Because if we’re honest, most big dreams seem a bit unrealistic at first. When someone looks at their situation — their relationships, opportunities, and the odds — with pure logic, it’s easy to conclude it might not be worth trying.
How many people want to write a book? How many dream of starting a business? How many want to make a living doing what they truly love? And how many actually take the leap to try?
Most hold themselves back from the start. Not because they’re lazy or untalented, but because they think too realistically.
There’s that voice in your head saying, “Maybe I’m not good enough.” Maybe others are better. Maybe this won’t work.
And if you listen to that voice, it’s so easy to give up before anything even happens.
In that sense, you really do need a little bit of “out there.”
Not the kind that comes from arrogance. Not the “I deserve this” attitude where you expect things to fall into your lap. But a quiet, stubborn belief that what you’re doing can have meaning.
After all, who will believe in us if we don’t believe in ourselves?
Success rarely comes quickly. At the start of most projects, you invest a lot of energy with barely any feedback.
You work. You try. You put time and energy in. And what you get back: nothing.
It’s easy to lose confidence then. To think maybe you’re really not good enough, maybe others are better, maybe the whole idea was flawed.
Many give up right there.
But often, that’s exactly when it’s most important to keep going. Just a little longer. One more project. One more try.
And for that, you really need something that might seem a bit irrational from the outside: the conviction that if you work long enough and persist with enough determination, your efforts will eventually pay off. Because you believe you’re good enough at what you do for it to be true. This belief can give you the strength to push through the phase when you get no recognition from the world.
Most people fall short here. But not those who are a little delusional.
