🤪Takeaways: Illogical: Saying Yes to a Life Without Limits

About the Author

Emmanuel Acho is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author and the Host/Producer of "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man". His ground-breaking online series to drive meaningful dialogue around racial insensitivity and ignorance launched in June 2020 with more than 80 million views to date, and is a 2021 Emmy nominee for “Outstanding Short Form Non-fiction or Reality Series”.

A 2021 Sports Emmy winner, Fox Sports Analyst (Co-Host, FS1 “Speak for Yourself”) and television personality, Emmanuel is a former NFL linebacker and has a master’s degree in Sports Psychology from the University of Texas.

Table of Contents

⭐ The Book in 3 Sentences

🎨 Impressions

🤔 Who Should Read It?

💡 How the Book Changed Me

✍🏾 My Top 3 Quotes

📘 Summary + Notes

⭐ The Book in 3 Sentences

1. To live illogically requires us to shut out the fears, negativity, and limitations of others in pursuit of our purpose.

2. This book uses a combination of Christian parables, lived experiences, and family history to demonstrate how illogical decisions – decisions which go against the grain of the norm – lead to outstanding outcomes.

3. Readers will walk away with an understanding that they can achieve anything that is in alignment with their innate gifts.

🎨 Impressions

Structurally, this is a very smooth read for the casual reader. I was able to complete it within less than five hours of reading, but primarily because I was already familiarized with many of the anecdotes that Acho shared on Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us podcast. I will say that I was little surprised that he incorporated as many biblical allusions (Noah’s Ark, walking across water, David and Goliath) as he did to serve as supporting details for some of the chapters. Once readers learn that Acho’s father was a renowned preacher in Nigeria and America, it makes more sense, but in the beginning I wasn’t expecting that.

🤔 Who Should Read It?

Anyone who is in the midst of a transition in profession or lifestyle. I feel it is also beneficial to young professionals who are just beginning their respective carers in industries where innovation and change are stifled by the “old guard” mentality. For the latter, this book serves as a motivator to keep doing “the thing.”

💡 How the Book Changed Me

How my life / behaviors / thoughts / ideas have changed as a result of reading the book

• I believe in the power of my gifts more.

• I am in full understanding that the decisions I make will not be understood by all; that my calling is not a conference call.

• Betting on myself is the best investment I can ever make.

✍🏾 My Top 3 Quotes

• “The easiest way to fail in life is to set a goal” (p. 156).

• “Sometimes, even when everyone else says no, you still have to go. Get out of the boat anyway. This will likely mean you have to go alone for the time being, and that’s okay. It’s okay to go alone, so long as you go. They say that fortune favors the bold, but that undersells the truth. History, destiny, and a new reality favor the bold as well” (p. 175).

• On dealing with doubters post-success: “Just smile and say, “Thank you. Thank you for making me uncomfortable. Thank you for pushing me. Thank you for the doubt. Thank you for helping me devote my life to proving you wrong” (p. 79).

📘 Summary + Notes

• Learn to discern the differences in purpose and intent when others challenge your thinking.

  • “Not all noise is bad noise. Not everyone who challenges your ideas or your ability is doubting you – some of their feedback can be constructive. Understand when you need to completely block out the noise or when it’s beneficial to engage in constructive dialogue” (p. 59)

• Maximize your role as you hold it. When you invest in “watering the grass of your own yard,” you are not only engaging in capacity building, but also preparing yourself for the next level of selfhood.

  • “Maybe you don’t know where you are in life right now, but it may be exactly where you’ve needed to be in order to prepare you and catapult you toward your destiny. Work hard at the job in front of you. Put the time in” (p. 97).

• You don’t have to be anybody but YOU. Society, the workplace, even family and friends may push you to become someone you aren’t for the sake of results, comfortability, and even collusion. Stand firm in knowing who you are, what your gifts are, and remain true to your integrity.

  • “Fight the way you know how. If you’re a lover, love. If you’re calm, use peace. If you’re loud and bold, use it. The tools you bring to the table are more than enough…Now is not the time to change your tactics; remember who you are” (p. 104).

• Similar to Brené Brown’s challenge of daring greatly. Stop pursuing comfort and familiarity

  • “Lean into uncertainty. Lean into things you don’t already have the answers for” (p. 115).

• Be a pioneering spirit.

  • “Broken dams, specifically those of the mind, show people that the impossible is only impossible until you do it (p. 148).

• Goals put ceilings on our achievement. Instead, pursue a purpose/objective.

  • “Constant goal setting and failure to reach those goals threaten our self-efficacy and self-esteem” (p.161).

• Flow is the ultimate state of productivity. In the classroom and in professional development sessions, we want our audience to experience this through authentic, relevant, and engaging learning opportunities.

  • Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, defined flow as “a subjective state people report when they are completely involved in something to the point of forgetting time, fatigue, and everything else but the activity itself,” and is widely considered the optimal state of being (p. 163).

• Meaningful opportunities will only come when you learn to embrace and effectively utilize these components for the good of humankind.

  • “The key to changing your life is to use your skills, your talents, your gifts” (p. 228).