Now, before you think I’m suggesting we all lose touch with reality, let me explain. He’s not talking about living in a fantasy world. He’s talking about questioning the “realistic” limitations that we often unknowingly adopt from others.
Think about it. How many times have you heard or even said yourself:
- “That’s just how the market is.”
- “You can’t hire top talent without a huge budget.”
- “Only experienced agents can close big deals.”
- “Lead generation is a grind, there’s no easy way.”
Clary argues that these “rules” and “limitations” are often just collective hallucinations – ideas that enough people have agreed upon, making them feel like universal truths. He spent his twenties being “smart, practical, realistic,” only to realize he was living inside someone else’s agreed-upon reality.
The World Isn’t Fixed, It’s Malleable
This is where it gets exciting for us in real estate. Clary points out that:
- Money? Made up. (Think about how commissions are set, how values are assigned – they’re agreements!)
- Your job? Made up. (The structure, the expectations, the path – all created.)
- The idea that you need permission to start something? Made up. (Go launch that new team, that new marketing strategy, that new brokerage!)
- The belief that some people are naturally more capable than others? Made up. (Talent can be developed, drive can be cultivated.)
Every major breakthrough in history – from the eight-hour workday to democracy to flying – started as someone’s “delusional” idea that defied the consensus. Someone chose to believe in something different, and then they made it happen.
Our Divine Gift: Discernment and Decision
This really resonates with something I’ve often written about: as humans, we’ve been given the incredible gift of discernment and decision. We’re not passive recipients of reality; we actively interpret it. We decidehow we see the world, how we interpret challenges, and what we believe is possible. This isn’t just about positive thinking; it’s about leveraging our innate ability to critically assess the “rules” and choose which ones we allow to govern our lives and businesses.
Just as I’ve talked about in previous blogs, that inner voice, that intuition, that God-given capacity to differentiate between what truly serves us and what are simply inherited limitations – that’s your power. It’s what allows us to look at a “made up” rule in real estate and decide, “No, that’s not for me. I’m choosing a different path.”
Why Reality Fights Back (And Why That’s Okay!)
When you start to challenge these established “realities” in your real estate business, guess what happens? People get uncomfortable. They’ll tell you you’re being “unrealistic” or “naive.” They’ll say, “That’s just how things work.”
But here’s the kicker: They’re not protecting you from disappointment; they’re protecting their own version of reality. Their comfort, their power, their status quo often depends on you accepting their limitations as universal laws.
When you refuse to accept “that’s just how things work,” you’re not just challenging them; you’re forcing them to question their own choices and beliefs. This is where your discernment becomes paramount. You’ll need to decide who you listen to, and whose “reality” you decide to live within.
It’s Time to Choose YOUR Delusion
That industry standard everyone follows? Just a story benefiting whoever created it. Those barriers to entry everyone respects? Just agreements that can be ignored by anyone with the guts to ignore them. That career path everyone takes? Just one way of doing things that someone made up.
Reality is simply a consensus opinion that’s gained momentum. And the good news? Consensus can change faster than you think.
Every time you act like something impossible might be possible in your real estate practice – whether it’s building a brokerage from scratch, recruiting top agents who seem out of reach, or scaling your team beyond what’s “normal” – you’re running an experiment. You’re testing the boundaries of what everyone else thinks is real. You’re weakening the collective hypnosis that keeps limitations in place.
The people who reshape our industry aren’t necessarily more talented or better connected. They’re just more committed to their “delusions” than most people are to theirs.
So, what “delusion” are you going to choose?
You can keep living inside other people’s successful delusions and call it being realistic. You can keep accepting their limitations as your limitations. You can keep asking for permission to do things that don’t require permission.
Or, you can start testing which rules actually matter and which ones are just stories waiting to be challenged by someone committed enough to prove them wrong. This is where your divine gift of discernment truly shines. Decide for yourself.
The world, and specifically the real estate world, is far more malleable than “they” told you. “They” needed you to believe it was fixed.
Stop being realistic about what exists. Start being delusional about what could exist.
The person who understands this has an unfair advantage over everyone who doesn’t.
That person might as well be you.
Source: Thoughts of the Week: June 30th, 2025 by Scott D. Clary.
