THE UNREASONABLE ADVANTAGE
FOR EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS, DITCH YOUR REASONS
4-Minute Read
In ordinary conversation, being unreasonable gets a bad rap. It is perceived as stubborn, dismissive, unwilling to cooperate, and even disrespectful of others' wishes or concerns.
At The Plenteous Life, however, we propose there is a way of being unreasonable that serves others greatly. In fact, being unreasonable is one of our core pillars for creating more than enough of what matters to you.
Playwright George Bernard Shaw put it this way in his play “Man and Superman”:
To be unreasonable is to free yourself from the reasons you use for not achieving what you want. In today’s issue of The Grip, we’re sharing why it’s to your advantage, and to the benefit of those you serve, to get unreasonable in creating the life you desire.
Let’s dive in!
why ditch your reasons?
When it comes to creating what you want, beware of the “rational” and “logical” reasons that prevent or delay you from achieving it. These reasons are just excuses in disguise. I call them designer excuses, because they are dressed up in a socially acceptable way to feel better about not getting the life you actually desire. They are sneaky…and convincing.
Here’s a brief list of popular reasons that will rob you of the life you’re capable of creating:
It wasn’t meant to be.
I don’t have the right connections/education/opportunity.
I’m waiting for the right time/life to calm down.
I’m too old/young.
That makes me uncomfortable.
I don’t have enough money/time/energy.
I need more information (perpetually) before I act.
It was out of my control.
I’m not smart/confident/extroverted/talented enough.
That’s just not me.
Reasons like these are the consolation prizes of settling for less than what you truly want. They are the markers of a resigned life. Even as I write these words, I feel the dull, gnawing sensation of resignation in the pit of my stomach. I remember it well; I lived it for many years, pacified by an endless list of reasons why life was against me.
You may have reasons for stopping, reasons for quitting, reasons it didn’t work out, reasons for delay, reasons for not showing up, reasons for not starting at all. This is ordinary human behavior. AND you are not limited to ordinary in this life; you have another option.
You can get unreasonable. You can get rid of the reasons you use to justify not getting what you want. You can free yourself of those shackles and get busy creating the life you’ve been waiting for. The freedom to create that life is the advantage that being unreasonable offers you.
“In life, you will either create what you want or create reasons why you didn’t.”
extraordinary results
What can life look like after ditching your reasons? Simone Biles is a powerful demonstration of what’s possible when a person frees themself from the reasons getting in their way.
Simone is a world-champion artistic gymnast from the US, considered to be the GOAT of gymnastics. As for the enormous challenges she has overcome in her career, there are too many to list. The following are just a handful of them, any one of which would have been reason enough to throw in the towel or never start at all:
Spent the first three years of life in foster care.
Diagnosed with ADHD.
Sexually assaulted by the USA Gymnastics physician (along with hundreds of other young girls).
Further wronged by the USA Gymnastics organization when they failed to act on the reported sexual abuse and attempted to cover it up.
Withdrew from most of her events at the 2020 Olympics to deal with mental health issues.
Competed in the 2024 Olympics as a 27-year-old gymnast, making her the oldest female gymnast to represent the USA at the games since 1952. Gymnastics is a sport that has favored 16 to 22-year-olds in recent decades.
Simone’s list of achievements is stunning; not the least of which is 11 Olympic medals to date. But the characteristic that inspires me the most is the impact she is having on athletics worldwide. Rather than adapting herself to the world of sports and competition, Simone is persisting in adapting the world of sports and competition to herself.
So far, Simone has had five gymnastic skills named after her—two on the floor, two on the vault, and one on the balance beam—and she’s working on more.
Simone’s stand for her own mental health has brought the mental wellbeing of athletes to the world’s attention as a priority.
Simone’s courage to hold not only her perpetrator, but the whole of USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee, accountable for the crimes committed against her (and many others) has initiated systemic change within these organizations.
Simone’s unreasonableness as Innovator and Leader is changing the world of gymnastics and the Olympics right before our eyes. And it is greatly serving mankind.
Check out this gold-winning performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics:
In life, you will either create what you want or create reasons why you didn’t. It’s hard to calculate just how costly these reasons are. But it’s safe to say, at the very least, they cost you the life you would otherwise have without them.
Some questions to help you get rid of the reasons getting in your way:
What do I really want, and what will I likely do to keep from getting it?
What reasons do I use for not having what I desire?
What are my current reasons costing me?
Who would I be without these reasons? What would be possible for me?
Without reasons, what would I attempt, risk, sacrifice, or give up? What would I gain?
What will change at my work, home, and community when I stop letting reasons get in my way?
As The Innovator Leader, you have purpose and people waiting on you to get unreasonable. When you become unreasonable, you become unstoppable. That’s what our friend, Mr. Shaw, is alluding to in his famous passage on the unreasonable man. It’s what Simone Biles embodies today. Let it be a call to what else is possible for you.
what has me inspired this week?
TWO MORE UNREASONABLE FAVORITES FROM THE 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES
Click image to watch video.
Noah Lyles, currently heralded as the fastest man alive, posted the following on his X account August 4th after winning Gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics: “I have Asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and Depression. But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why Not You!”
By working together, members of the Irish Women’s Rugby Team pulled off an epic power move to catch a ball that would have otherwise been impossible for either of them to catch alone. Click on the image to open the video in a new tab of your web browser; you can view it without a TikTok account. It’s 15 seconds long, amazing, and completely unreasonable!
May you prosper in every way!
Becky & TPL Team
52 Maxims of Conscious Choosing To Create the Deeply Satisfying Life You Desire.