The Value of Being Delusional

Have you ever told somebody your dream and watched their face shift like you just said something wild? Not in a good way. I mean the kind of shift where they smile politely, tilt their head a little, and hit you with the “oh word?” but you can hear the disbelief dripping off every syllable. They think you’re tripping. They’re trying to be supportive, but deep down, they don’t see it. They don’t see you.

It’s funny how quick people are to call something unrealistic when it doesn’t fit their idea of what’s possible. We throw around words like delusional so fast. But what if being delusional, at least a little bit, is exactly what you need to build something great?

See, I’ve come to believe there’s a good kind of delusion. The kind that makes you show up before the world is watching. The kind that has you calling yourself a writer, an actor, an entrepreneur, an artist, whatever your lane is, even when nobody’s paying attention. The kind that lets you create like you already made it, like your name’s already in rooms you haven’t even stepped into yet.

They won’t tell you this, but most people we idolize today had to be delusional before anyone clapped for them. Tyler, The Creator was labeled weird. Kanye was called crazy. Issa Rae built Awkward Black Girl out of thin air when YouTube was still a gamble and nobody was checking for awkward Black girls on TV. Nipsey was selling $100 mixtapes when folks laughed at the idea. And now? Every single one of them is iconic in their own way. It’s easy to call it genius after it works. But before that? Before the success? That’s the delusion phase.

And that’s the phase where most people quit.

Being delusional means holding a vision so clearly that even the absence of proof doesn’t scare you. It means ignoring the look on people’s faces when you tell them what you’re working on. It means staying committed to a version of yourself that hasn’t shown up yet but will if you keep showing up first.

I remember sitting in my room with a phone on 12%, scribbling in notebooks and making plans that felt huge and far away. I told people I was starting a magazine. Said I wanted to perform poetry. Said I wanted to act. And the response? Blank stares. “That’s cool,” they’d say, but you could hear it: the lack of belief. And sometimes, it got to me. But more often than not, it just made me go harder. I started treating every post like a billboard. Every poem like it was already published. Every video like a producer might see it. Not out of ego, but out of necessity. Because if I didn’t believe in it, who would?

A lot of us are waiting for someone to validate the dream before we go all in. But let me be real with you. Most people don’t have the range to recognize greatness in its early form. They can’t see the seed, only the fruit. So if you’re in your seed stage, you might have to water it with delusion.

And that’s okay.

Now, I’m not saying go off the rails. Don’t quit your job with no plan or max out your credit cards thinking manifestation alone will save you. Nah, I’m not preaching recklessness. I’m talking about intentional delusion. The kind that’s paired with action, consistency, and a little bit of blind faith. The kind that makes you journal like you already live the life you’re building. The kind that makes you walk into rooms with your chest out and your shoulders back, even if your account is low. The kind that makes you post content like the right people are watching, because they might be.

Here’s the part nobody talks about. Belief is lonely. It’s quiet. It’s full of moments where you doubt yourself, question your timing, wonder if maybe they were right and you’re just doing too much. But every time you push through that noise? That’s when the magic starts to multiply. That’s when you start moving differently, aligning with opportunities you couldn’t have even imagined when you first began.

And don’t get it twisted. This ain’t just about chasing clout or being “that guy.” It’s about honoring the fire inside you. That idea you can’t let go of. That dream that keeps popping up in your spirit no matter how many times life knocks you sideways. That’s your assignment. That’s your blueprint. And even if nobody claps for you right now, even if they don’t get it, you still gotta go get it.

So let me ask you. What’s the dream you’ve been too afraid to say out loud?

The one you tucked in the back of your mind because it felt too big. Too far-fetched. Too “not me.” I want you to pull that dream out, dust it off, and sit with it. Write it down. Speak it into existence. Wear it on your chest, even if it makes you uncomfortable. Because if you don’t believe in it, it dies. And it deserves better than that.

They’ll call you delusional now. But that’s only because you’re building something they can’t see yet. Let them talk. Let them doubt. Let them sleep on you. You keep building. Keep posting. Keep creating. Keep writing. Keep showing up for your vision like it already exists. Because in a way, it does. You’re just catching up to it.

You’re not crazy. You’re chosen. You’re not reaching. You’re remembering who you are. The world might not clap for you today, but when they do, you’ll know you earned it.

Stay bold. Stay delusional. Stay you.

We gon’ make it.