Dec 21, 2020

Delusional but critical

I’d like to clarify something I wrote a few days ago. Some people might misconstrue what I mean when I say “delusion is a superpower”. There are a lot of ways in which you can be delusional and not only hurt your future but also alienate those around you.

The caveat that I’d like to make is that you should be a delusional optimist about the future. However at the same time, you should be highly critical of your present self. Be a perfectionist about yourself and your work in the present. You should constantly be looking for ways to improve.

Delusion and perfectionism each come with a set of traps that one should be careful to avoid. Too much delusion without action to back it up can make you feel like you’ve already made it when there is still a lot of work to do to make your fantasies a reality. Perfectionism can also be an excuse that people use to hide from sharing their work with the world.

There is great power in managing to tightrope walk these two qualities. Delusional optimism offers direction and hope. Perfectionism feeds action and betterment. Both balance each other well. So be a self-critical, delusional optimist.