Your Common Sense is a Liar

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When I was about eleven, I won a little woven straw tube at a Halloween carnival in West Texas. It looked boring until a friend showed me the trick: you stick a finger in each end, and the harder you pull, the tighter it grabs you. I pulled until my knuckles popped. I sweated. I turned red. My "common sense" told me that if I was trapped, I needed to use more strength to break free.

That little toy is the perfect metaphor for the "Methodology Trap". We get so hung up on the how—the technique, the resources, the step-by-step plan—that we talk ourselves out of the what. We act like adults who refuse to choose a goal unless we already have the tools in our garage to finish the job.

Children do not do this. A kid focuses on the end result and lets the goal create the methodology. They do not worry about the physics of a bicycle; they just want to get to the ice cream truck. We, on the other hand, have been trained to rely on "common sense," which Webster’s defines as "sound, practical judgment". But "practical" means "obtained through practice".

In other words, common sense is just judgment based on your past. It is a rearview mirror approach to driving a Ferrari. If you rely on common sense, you can only expect common results. Common sense once said the world was flat and people could not fly. It still lies to you today by reviewing your past failures and telling you what is "reasonable" to expect.

To make a quantum leap, you have to move into "Uncommon Sense". You have to think beyond what is probable. You are already prepared for this. The more you read my emails, the more success you will have as you begin to see these invisible boundaries for what they are: paper-thin walls. You are likely grateful for having clicked the links in my email because they are helping you dismantle the prison of "the way it has always been done."

Quantum leaps are not complex. They are simple, energy-efficient moves. But they require you to be a "logical ricochet". If you are pushing against a river, try going with the flow. Use finesse instead of raw effort. If your current routines have quit working, stop doing them. Just stopping creates the "white space" for something better to rush in.

You do not need a map to start. You draw the map as you go. You do not need to know how you are going to get there; you just need to know where you want to land. This requires a radical departure from your habits. It means ignoring conventional approaches and getting ruthless about trying something different.

Your limits are not set by your talent; they are set by your decisions. You can tell your own fortune by inventing your own future. You are in total control. The world does not have to give you permission to be great; you permit yourself.

What is one "sensible" rule you are following right now that feels more like a cage than a safety net?

Wait until you see how "unseen forces" start acting like a silent partner in your business once you stop trying to do everything yourself.

Apply for the Absolute Freedom Mentorship here.

Bradley Woods

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