Hey guys. Today, I want to get your thoughts on something.
So, a few days ago, I was talking to someone, and she mentioned that anybody and everybody, in the history of the world, who has done anything even remotely successful, no matter how small, was able to do that only because such people always act with a reasonable mind.
The point we were discussing was whether or not we sometimes make decisions without any reason. And her argument was that even though we may, such people can never, ever be successful. To succeed at anything, big or small, one always needs to have a reason to do whatever they do (or don’t do, as the case may be).
Other people may or may not agree with that reason, or may not even see that reason in the first place, but within that person’s mind, there’s always a logical reason, on the basis of which they can justify their actions.
As a corollary, anyone who can not provide a reason for doing (or not doing) something, is doomed to be a failure, and is an idiot, in general. According to her.
Now, if you have been following this blog, you’ll know that I’m one of those “idiots”, apparently – I don’t always have a clear reason for doing, or not doing, something. I go by an inherent “feeling”. I don’t know if I would even call it a “gut feeling” or “intuition” – I don’t think it’s that; it’s just something I want to do, something that feels right in that moment. Even though I may know that it will not work out for me in the future in any “materialistic” sense, I’d go and do it.
I understand if that indeed sounds like being an idiot. That part I get. So, when she indirectly called me an idiot, I understood. That’s how it would look to most people, and that’s okay.
What I had a problem with was her saying, rather insisting, that nothing good can come out of such a mentality. That a person without a reason is never going to succeed. She would go on to give examples of successful people, who always had reasons and justifications – she was a well-read person, and so it was easy for her. Unfortunately, I being not as well-read as her, couldn’t give her examples to the contrary.
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Do you think she is right?
Do you think a person can achieve anything in life if they just do what they feel in their heart to be right, even though they can not see any reason in that, no matter how hard they try? And I’m not even talking about world domination or anything big like that. Even small achievements would do – doing well in your relationships, career, as a human.
I guess ultimately the question is:
Can your life be happy and peaceful, even if you live it without a reason driving your every action?
Clearly, since I don’t consider myself such a logical and reasonable person all the time, her line of thought that this was not possible, struck a nerve. I, of course, want to be successful in life. Who doesn’t? But do I really need to change who I am as a person at such a fundamental level to do that? Can I not be successful at having a happy life if I don’t have a reason for everything that I do?
I know some people might say, “But there are thousands of successful people who followed their heart to achieve their dreams!” This is where it gets a bit tricky. The people that I’m talking about (who can not provide a reason for their actions), are a different bunch than these people.
Even though these people may have followed their heart to achieve success, their actions would still have been driven by a reason, right? A person, like a path-breaking artist or an entrepreneur, who went against all conventional wisdom to follow their heart, and became a pioneer in their respective field, would still have made decisions along the way that in their mind would lead to that ultimate goal. So, even though they were following their heart, their actions were still guided by a reason – it’s just that other people couldn’t see that at that moment.
The people that I’m talking about don’t have a reason guiding their actions in the first place. They don’t plan their next “move”. They live moment-to-moment, guided simply by their heart’s compass.
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And the other thing is, even if there has been no such person in the history of the world, shouldn’t we try it for ourselves? I know it sounds ridiculous when you think about it – with seven billion people currently, and countless others before me, what are the odds of me being that one finally?! But we all get just one life, don’t we? Do we really want to live it according to what has been, according to how we are supposed to? And if nobody had ever done anything for the first time, we wouldn’t be here to begin with, no? But I guess, it wouldn’t come to that – I somehow feel there have to be people before who have lived the kind of life I’m talking about, and yet been successful. Again, no reason based on facts or anything for that belief, just a strong feeling!
The way I see it, it comes down to choosing between living my life authentically, the way I am doing currently, which probably will not be a “success”, going by her opinion, as against living a life that one is supposed to, driven by reason and logic, which also may or may not be a success, but would probably have better odds than the first case.
It seems like a very complicated and important decision. And if indeed I need to make changes, the sooner I do, the better it’d be, no? So, I really would like to know what other peoples’ thoughts are on this. No sugarcoating – give it to me straight. I may not agree with the person that I had this discussion with, but I like her honesty and straightforwardness. So, please give me your honest opinion.
If by some chance, you don’t agree with her line of thought, and side with mine, it would be great if you can share some examples of such successful people. I’d like to throw that in her face the next time we meet! 😁
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