Insanity is often described as a state of mind where someone is disconnected from reality, causing irrational or erratic behavior. In casual terms, though, we often refer to insanity as repeatedly doing the same thing while expecting different results. It’s about persistence in behavior that has proven to be unproductive or even harmful, yet without recognizing—or maybe without caring—that the outcome won’t change.
But here’s the twist: you can be “insane” even while doing different things if those different actions are still based on the same flawed reasoning, beliefs, or expectations. Imagine you’re trying to reach a goal by changing tactics, but each new approach is still rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of what the goal actually requires. Or, maybe each tactic seems different on the surface, but all of them ignore the core issue.
For example, let’s say you’re trying to win people’s admiration. You might try being the funniest person in the room, then switch to being the most generous, then try out being the most knowledgeable. Each approach is technically different, but if your underlying assumption—“I need people’s admiration to be happy”—is flawed, the end result remains the same: you won’t find satisfaction, no matter the tactic.
So, the insanity here isn’t in doing “the same thing over and over” but in chasing the same unrealistic outcome through different means, each bound to fail because the foundation remains unchanged. It’s not just about repetition; it’s about clinging to a path, belief, or outcome that doesn’t actually align with reality, even as you change your methods.
I’ll just end it with this. Go little rockstar…