When I begin to write these posts they start as an idea in my head and then I try to articulate them in a way that I won't offend anybody. Everyone reading my post understands that my goal is authenticity and not perfection. I feel like this used to be implied, that an opinion is an opinion and it's yours and it’s subjective and it's limited to the scope of your experiences. I appreciate the added attention to one's public opinion to spare feelings, but at the same time let this not be damaging to having a productive conversation, let's not have this mentality be damaging to having conversations that can evolve our thinking. So with that out of the way I introduce part 3. The third lesson I learned after 100 Dates Across the Globe.
The first lesson discussed being open to conversation despite the norm. The second lesson talks about maintaining your feminine energy as a trauma survivor, while also being in that hustle mindset. The third lesson is the utility of the God complex.
What do I mean by that? What is a god complex? How does it differ from narcissism or a superiority complex? And why should everyone have one? All of these questions are to be answered below.
What do I mean by ‘the utility of a god complex’?
I mean the usefulness and the benefit of tapping into a God complex. The complex alone is not productive, but it’s absolutely necessary to be successful. When you pair a god complex with tenacity, the ability to admit when you’re wrong, and consideration for others, it’ll be the vehicle to your progression and elevation in all aspects of your life.
What qualifies me to have this opinion? Not that much tbh. I have accomplished a lot, but it’s almost nothing in the grand scheme of what I’d like to accomplish. I will say though tapping into a god complex saved me from my statistic. The way I grew up I wasn’t supposed to make it to college, especially not a good one. I wasn’t supposed to finish the LSAT or travel as much as I have. I wasn’t supposed to find direction and I wasn’t supposed to believe in myself etc.
The first step to escaping an impossible circumstance is believing that you can even if nothing around you makes it seem possible. Even, no especially, when people deem you delusional, you have to believe that what you want is possible. Your mind needs to get there first and your actions will follow. Visualizing your highest self and then showing up as that person is the perfect example of how to utilize a god complex.
What is a god complex?
A god complex is an unshakable belief characterized by consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility. Now what this comes with is refusing to admit error or failure, being highly dogmatic, having no regard for others, or/ and feeling they’re deserving of special privileges.
Having a god complex alone is not a good thing.
Using a god complex to get to the next level is however, I think, necessary. The god complex is the body of the car, tenacity is the steering wheel, the ability to admit when you’re wrong are the mirrors, and consideration/kindness are the wheels.
How does it differ from narcissism or a superiority complex?
A narcissist is someone with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). “Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others.”
There are a few key things that make narcissism something you should steer clear of at all costs.
- They take advantage of others to get what they want.
- Believe that they are better than others.
- Completely unempathetic.
- Envious.
A superiority complex is an exaggerated feeling of superiority to others, characterized by arrogant or overbearing behavior. This is also degrading to yourself and others around you. Depending on fulfillment from comparing yourself to those around you is not acceptable.
Why should everyone have a god complex to an extent?
So it differs from narcissism and a superiority complex in some key ways. A god complex is fueled by an inexplicable sense of internal confidence. So saying you are the world’s greatest boxer before you are in fact the world’s greatest boxer would be considered a god complex; however to be the world’s greatest boxer you need to believe that you are fully capable of being the world’s greatest boxer even if you are nowhere close to being such and that too would be considered a god complex. See what I’m saying? All the people we consider successful or great had to have an inflated sense of their capabilities then had to show up as that person and rise to the occasion.
I think it’s reasonable to be humble, having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance, in certain (honestly most) aspects of your life. I love watching people dance, but I am not a good dancer at all. Like at all, I’m a non- dancing African through and throughhh. That is an example of a humble assertion. Admission of imperfection can exist on the same playing field as a god complex. Having a god complex with respect to what you can achieve is not a bad thing. For example, I am a bad dancer, but if I worked really hard and wanted it I could become an excellent dancer. Another example: I struggle to not overspend, but with discipline and dedication I can become a millionaire. When you maintain this rhetoric, people tend to dismiss you as delusional, but a delusion is a step away from a dream which is a step away from a goal which is a step away from your desired results.
CONCLUSION
You are only capable of what you believe you are capable of, so have an inflated unwavering faith in what you can accomplish even if people say your vision for your future is unrealistic or that you’re delusional. Show up as any version of yourself that you imagine because saying you “can’t” do something or it’s “unrealistic” is a cop out and you know it. If you don’t wanna do the work, just say that.
A fun little fact about me is that I have a couple of mentees and I help kids in my old communities get to college. I also really like the cream cheese, bread, salami, and sweetened hot black tea combo.
Has unwavering confidence in yourself gotten you through any situation? If so, what happened?
What is your biggest delusion?
3 responses to “Part 3: The Utility of The God Complex”
More of this deep thought! The way to stand out from the crowd is doing exactly what you’re doing 🙌🏽🙌🏽
I would love to say beautiful article I love the articulation on this but I have a question and a critique. The critique for me would to me it sound like the god complex is more so just having confidence in yourself, for example you use the metaphor for a boxer and how if they aspire to be the greatest boxer they need to control the god complex so that you might believe you can become the greatest boxer ( correct me if I’m wrong) , but I would attribute this to just having confidence in your self. I think all the attributes of the god complex can be very much attributed to confidence as well, doesn’t confidence unchecked turn into arrogance and don’t confidence help you form a delusion that form a dream and a dream is a step behind a goal and a goal leads to the intended result (based on the logic demonstrated in the article) . I hope you can see where this god complex could be confused or is the god complex. The question I have for you is if they are different and due to my ignorance or wrongly accretion to the attributes, can you gain this god complex or are you born with it ?
lol not a dumb question at all. Thank you so much for reading! The main difference between the god complex and confidence (which is a very fine line) is that you are *over* estimating your abilities when it comes to the god complex. With confidence, you simply have an appreciation for the abilities you already possess. Both, I think, are necessary. To answer your question you can 100% gain it! I touch on some of it in “How to be the Main Character” and “How to Rebuild Your Confidence” 🙂