Being Unreasonable

To get an above the average “benefits” di hidup, harus ada “above the average” approach yang kita lakuin buat optimize the “capital” yang kita punya in our day to day life 💪.

And the good news, the bar of being “average” sekarang udah makin tinggi, thx to all the technology advancement, macro economic condition, and talent competitions.

So being reasonable udah ga cukup to get above the average benefits from this capital, we need to be unreasonable.

(Note: For those of you yang ngerasa my life cuma mau average aja and udah deliberately choose this average path, its totally fine. But this writing might not fit for you, tapi feel free kalau interested to explore 🙏 )

#1 Maksudnya “Capital” itu apa?

Mari kita definisiin emang arti “Capital” di sini itu apa and kenapa sepenting itu buat bisa kita pahamin? Only by understanding this kita bisa belajar either we want to optimize or keep it as it is.

So to simplify it, capital itu adalah segala bentuk aspek and aset di hidup yang bisa bantuin kita (secara langsung or ga langsung) untuk hidup.

“Ok its still confusing, make penjelasannya lebih membumi bisa?”

Ok let me give few examples of “capital” dari yang mungkin kita udah lebih familiar until the benefits yang kita ga sadar that its very important tp often underrated:

Point 1 (Cash) and 2 (Physical Stuffs) mungkin most of us udah lebih familiar karena ini lebih kelihatan and a bit more tangible and also short-term effect nya berasa.

But the point 3-14 (Taking from Seth’s Godin Book This is Strategy) ini sesuatu yang kita suka missed untuk we optimize and continuously invest to get the above the average benefits of it.

Fase pertama yang penting adalah buat tau kalau sadar ga sadar, we have the access to these capital in our life.

NAMUN!! Capital will be just a capital yang B aja kalau ga dirawat, dikembangin, or dimanfaatin dengan bener ✍️.

And this is where most of us suka kelupaan and frustrasi sendiri sama hidup, ngerasa dunia ga adil (and it is emang ga adil), tapi when asked seberapa keras and cerdas kita ngerawat and ngembangin those “capital”? Most prob ini belom pernah kita coba pikirin and jawab.

Meaning we need to do something unreasonable about it.

Ini yang akhirnya bikin some of us bisa get way bigger and above the average benefits of the capital in a long-term and sustainable and lebih tenang. (Me not talking about those people yang get things in an instant and secara sadar harming people in the process 🐒)

#2 Maksudnya Average or Above Average Benefits Apa?

Now that kita ngerti “capital” yang everyone has the access now lets discuss soal maksudnya benefits di sini itu apa?

Note that having the access to all of those capital, ga menjamin kita secara otomatis bisa dapetin manfaat dari those capital.

So lets explore dulu di awal and think apa sih the benefits yang we can get from those capital? Here are the list or questions kita bisa pikirin and coba jawab sendiri:

Nah now that we udah lebih ada gambaran maksud “benefits” dari masing-masing capital yang ada di atas, sekarang tinggal kita pikirin aja seberapa jauh or besar benefits yang sekarang kita rasain dari each of the capital above.

Take example yang paling gampang dulu mungkin:

• Cash: “How is my cash creating more freedom, options, or opportunities for me?” If the answer is currently kita masih belom bisa nabung, masih belom se-flexible itu untuk bisa punya pilihan what we want to do or not to do, berarti the benefits yang kita get from our cash capital masih average or bisa jadi juga below the average.

• Another example say, Reputation: “What opportunities come to me before I even ask for them?” Seberapa sering and konsisten ada yang reaching out ke kita buat kasih tawaran to ask or do something (Paid or Free)? Kalau jawabannya masih belom, or the topic masih super random, meaning kita belom get the most benefits out of this capital.

Menjawab pertanyaan di atas itu bisa jadi a small step buat kita menjadi lebih ngerti posisi kita sekarang!

#3 Being Reasonable VS Unreasonable

Now for the last but the most important part of this writing adalah apa arti being Reasonable or Unreasonable?

Tapi mungkin before that, lets learn that from the history of the world in almost every industries type, every generations, to get the most or above the average benefits of the capital in our life, we need to do things that is Unreasonable. Jadi kalau sekarang we still get below the average benefits, dont blame others kecepetan, bisa jadi kitanya yang belom put unreasonable effort di situ. Kontrol yang terdekat dulu.

Now lets talk about being Reasonable vs Unreasonable.

Ada satu quote that influence a lot of great thinkers coming from an Irish Writer:

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

George Bernard Shaw. Man and Superman (1903) “Maxims for Revolutionists” Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)

Jadi penjelasan versi oversimplified of being reasonable adalah we are doing what everyone right now is doing, just because we’ve been told thats how we do things in here, thats the rules and limitations. We dont bother to be curious and ask, let alone to challenge the status quo.

Menjadi reasonable ga salah, fair-fair aja. Tapi harus bisa menerima juga kalau kita ga bisa get above the average benefits of capital yang kita punya di hidup. Ga boleh mengeluh dan ga boleh nyalahin orang lain and dunia.

Jadi antitesis dari Reasonable is Unreasonable.

Being Unreasonable artinya kita melakukan hal-hal aneh, hal yang lebih susah, hal yang diluar status quo, hal yang mungkin belom ada di text book, hal yang bisa jadi saat ini dirasa berlawanan dengan kebiasaan. Hal yang saat ini mungkin kita ga punya penjelasan logis yang enough to justify ini.

Melakukan hal yang orang lain ga mau lakuin karena bisa jadi belom kepikiran, atau sudah kepikiran tapi effortnya terlalu besar.

🌏️ Lets make this even more membumi ya:

1. Mau dapet promosi di kerjaan and naik gaji? Once kita make sure kerjaan and scope yang sekarang dikasih dikerjain dengan bener. Proactively see the business problem di dalem or di luar team, validate the impact, pikirin simple (cheap) tweak yang impactnya bisa gede, do it, monitor and report the impact to our boss. [Cash & Trust]

2. Mau dapet kerjaan di tengah kompetisi talent yang sengit sekarang? Make sure basic things like interview skills, and portfolio is updated. After that before the interview pelajarin siapa profile HR or User, cari tau mereka interestnya apa dulu kerja di mana. Be proactive to make an initial research and share the results before the interview. During the interview prepare list of questions that cover not only the role tapi juga soal kondisi bisnis, culture and leadership. [Reputation & Skill]

3. Mau build strong and long lasting network and trust with other people? Learn the basic effective communication skills such as asking good questions and also active listening. But on top of that have the mentality to give and to help before ask. Think continuously how can I help the person that Ill be meeting? What physical or non physical product that I can give to them yang ga harus mahal tapi beneran beneficial for them? [Network & Affiliation]

4. Dan seterusnya…

[Note] For kita yang spectrum-nya lebih ke pessimistic, we will always find a way to debate examples yang ada di atas “Tapi gimana kalo? ini gimana kalo gitu? 🤔 ” and thats fine and bisa beneran kejadian.

But thats not the point. Its an external thing yang yaudah ga bisa kita kontrol.

But the point here is to train our body, mind and soul to be more unreasonable so that we can also get and able to enjoy the above average benefits of life!

Choose our path.

For me, I feel (at least untuk saat ini per June 2026) lebih strategic for me to choose to be unreasonable in the life that I will only have once.

Cheers!

Andrew Prasatya

Writer at The Slow Leaders Academy

Untuk yang currently jadi or dalam perjalanan menjadi people manager, ada berita baik! 🎉 

I just launched a new book judulnya “The Slow Leadership” 🍃 

Isinya lots of practical and insightful panduan jadi People Manager and Leader yang bener! 💪 

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