How to Think Like a Rascal – Rascal Leadership
Our greatest fear should not be that we won’t succeed, but that we will succeed at something that doesn’t matter – D.L Moody
Have you ever thought of yourself as a rascal? Have you ever been frustrated with the crowd-think and carbon copy culture? Do you have a sense that there is so much more and that we need to be doing something of significance? How much do you value comfort and safety? How much do you live for the opinions and ideas of others? Have you ever wondered about those great men and women in history who made a difference and impacted how we live today? What did they have and how did they think?
In his book, Rascal, author and leadership speaker, Chris Brady, examines what a rascal is and how they think. In his book, he expands on what he calls”Rascalinity” – the rascals of this world. At the end of the book, the author has quite a thorough test to evaluate “Rascalinity” as well as a “Rascal Manifesto”. Here are some of the ideas inspired by this thought-provoking book.
What Is a Rascal?
A rascal is a rather unique individual, unique in the way that he or she thinks, acts, and lives. The rascal is not interested in following the status quo, but rather runs in the opposite direction. He is a rebel, but not for the sake of being a rebel. He chooses not to conform, but not just to stand out. The rascal is strong n convictions and principal. he is courageous and authentic and seeks justice for all. He will take a bold stand even under fire in order to do what is right and what should be done. The rascal takes risks and lives in the zone.
“Rascals do not waste their lives. Rascals do not live for meaningless purposes. Instead, rascals are a breed apart. They strive for greatness and significance, knowing deep down that it matters how they live their lives and what they do with the time they’ve been given”. – Chris Brady
Some Examples of Rascals
There are many examples of rascals throughout history. We have heard about them and perhaps think that they were brave men and women. But have we ever thought about them as rascals for Truth and Justice? Many were criticized, hated, mocked, ignored and even killed for going against the collective thought. They were nonconformers because to conform meant to ignore injustice or remain in apathy. Here are some rascals:
Winston Churchill
Gandhi
John Wycliffe
Lakota warrior-leader Crazy Horse
Rosa Parks
Martin Luther King
Socrates
John Locke
Elizabeth the Ist (England)
How Do Rascals Think?
Rascals Are Driven by a Purpose
They do not “live their lives as though they have a thousand years” (Marcus Aurelius), but choose to have a vision, a sense of direction for their lives and focus their lives on pressing on towards that goal. They align decisions and actions with their convictions.
Rascals Make the Most of Their Time
Rascals want to live a life in a way that matters and so they make use of the time they have been given to do the best that they can to bring about the most benefit for the most people around them. They have priorities and live by them and choose not to lose focus and get caught up in distractions.
Rascals Feel Fear but Act Courageously
“Do the thing you fear and the fear goes away” – this is a maxim of a rascal. Fear is their enemy, but they choose to confront it head-on rather than avoid what needs to be done. Courage is the uniform of a rascal. Winston Churchill stood alone against his government and the Nazi threat of invasion. It was his courage and determination that drove him to bring England to her “finest hour”. His courage rallied the courage of England.
Rascals Are Risk Takers
A rascal does not “play it safe”. They don’t have time for that. They live on the edge and in the zone, so to speak. Nothing of any significance gets done in the comfort zone, so why stay there? Harriet Tubman, another rascal, could have stayed in the comfort zone of being free, but she chose not to. She chose to go back again and again, risk after risk, to rescue others so that they too could be free.
Rascals Have a Sense of Justice
Like William Wilberforce in his lifelong fight to abolish the slave trade, a rascal’s comfort is overridden by a sense of justice and righting what is wrong. He can not just stand back and hope that someone else will fight. The rascal believes that justice is for all, not just for some people. He fights against indifference, cynicism, and shallowness.
Rascals Are Originals
There is no being a carbon copy for a rascal. They are the real deal. A rascal does not have time for thinking about what everyone else is doing since he -or she is so focused on what he or she is doing. Rascals are authentic. They have a clear sense of who they are, what their job is, why they are here and where they are going. They have no interest in being like everyone else or following the crowd.
Rascals Have a Healthy Dose of Skepticism
They don’t believe everything they see, hear or read at face value. They check sources and prefer to get their information from “the horse”s mouth”, so to speak. They are able to do this because they also have a clear understanding of what truth is. they are not easily fooled or led down the proverbial rabbit hole. In other words, they are fully awake and all cylinders are running.
Rascals Know Who Their enemy Is
Fear:
The author of the book, Rascal, calls fear the “enemy of mass destruction”. This weapon is launched to paralyze a rascal from accomplishing his or her purpose. It keeps them in a holding state.
Doubt:
This is another “weapon in the arsenal”. There is doubt about a lot of things: our abilities, our judgment, our beliefs, the outcome of things and more. Doubt is exceedingly dangerous because it attacks at the very core of the rascal’s convictions.
Pride:
Pride sneaks up on us suddenly when we are not aware. We can easily become oversensitive. self-promoting and aspire more and more of the limelight. When we lose focus and get caught up in distractions and the opinions of others, pride happens.
Distractions:
Speaking of distractions, many of these come from other people’s expectations and our own loss of focus. Distractions cause a rascal to lose sight of his vision, to give up and fall back. “Broken focus leads to broken dreams”.
Mediocrity:
This is an arsenal against the mind. It tells us that we are doing “pretty good”, so “why not be happy”?. The mindset of mediocrity is an obstacle to improvement and growth. But a rascal can never be satisfied with “pretty good” when there is so much to change.
Crowd-think:
This is the committee of “they”. Or maybe the committee of “everybody says”. We see the power of this committee in political correctness, buying, and spending habits, and even in the education – career mindset/ paths. But the rascal is not fooled by the herd. He knows where he is going and why.
The Love of Money:
Financial troubles can be a difficult obstacle and can send people off track or prevent them from doing what they want to do. They can also create divides and destroy relationships. But the rascal knows that “The real measure of your wealth is how much you would be worth if you lost all your money”.(p. 108)
Discouragement:
Frustration and setbacks can easily discourage. but usually, when they do, it is because we have lost our belief and have “grown weary in well-doing” (p. 110). Thes are assaults by the enemy used to take a rascal off course, to sabotage his efforts and stop him in his tracks. But a rascal knows and expects this assault and uses what he knows and his belief to put everything into its proper perspective
“My friend, why should you wish to shorten my life by taking from me my shadow”? – Crazy Horse (Historical Rascal)
The Takeaway
Becoming and being a rascal is a far cry from “the Little Rascals” in the book and movie by the same name. We are not talking about boyhood mischievousness, but about Character strength, purpose, courage, vision, and conviction. The true rascal is a rare breed, a mustang with a mission. Anyone can become a rascal, but not anyone will. It takes guts, and a solid knowledge of who we are, where we are going and why. And it takes a tough armor on the outside and a tender heart on the inside. Rascals are real and authentic and they are very much needed in our world.
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Diana Lynne loves traveling, learning, and living a debt free life. She also loves hanging out with family, friends and her dog Skye. You can connect with her through livingandstuff.ca
