How to Break Patterns and Ignite Unreasonable Breakthroughs (In Writing, Business, and Beyond)
Box Cutter Co. Free Issue No. 75
Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to break free from the ordinary?
Do you notice how much of life can feel already scripted for you?
Follow the steps
Stick to the rules
Fit inside the box
It’s safe. Predictable. Even comforting at times.
But here’s a false-narrative-crusher — (and watch out, your Unreasonable Meter may go full red!)…
Rarely has anything truly transformative—whether in business, education, or your own life—ever originated inside a box.
And yet, boxes are everywhere.
We live in them. Work in them. Think in them.
Sometimes, we don’t even realize it’s there.
The question isn’t whether the box exists.
The question is: Are you willing to step out of it?
The Problem With Boxes
Boxes give us structure. They make the world manageable.
Society rewards those who stay within the lines, who follow the script, who conform.
Get the degree, and you’ll get the job.
Get the job, and you’ll find stability.
Find stability, and you’ll be “happy.”
But what happens when the script stops working?
I’m actively watching this in a few places.
Our youngest is mid-teens, Grade 10. He’s currently taking a class on “Careers.” This week, he had to do a ‘mock interview’ and complete one of those ‘aptitude tests’ that spits out “best careers for you.”
He shared this at dinner, and we all had a good laugh (especially as lawyer was one of his recommended paths).
These ridiculous tests still spit out the same bullshit that my wife and I got doing similar bullshit assessments in high school multiple decades ago.
I asked him, “With the current advances in AI and technology, how many ‘careers’ do you think will be available in 8-10 years that simply don’t exist right now?”
“Lots!” he said.
“Yup,” I said. “And that’s no different than when I did similar assessments in high school… Do you think Social Media Manager, was a career option when I was in high school? YouTuber? Influencer?”
The Shrinking Box of Higher Education
These sorts of aptitude assessments feed a narrative about the necessity of higher education.
Higher ed. (by its name alone) has long been the ultimate box. The apparent dependable path to careers and credibility. (The ‘higher’ path).
And yet, I watch it now (as an active faculty member and past administrator) —flailing, wallowing—desperately trying to adapt to a variety of threats on its existence:
AI reshaping the way we learn and work
Skyrocketing costs alienating future students
Affordable alternatives and far more ‘just-in-time’ training
The ‘higher ed’ box is so ingrained in our society that many can’t imagine stepping outside it.
Yet, the digital world is growing exponentially, offering relevant, iterative, and focused education opportunities. YouTube, for example, is a stunning search engine and learning platform.
Thus, those who decide to step outside the higher ed box? They will be, and many are already shaping the future.
The harsh reality is frequently, the same boxes keeping us safe can also keep us stuck.
What It Means to Break Patterns
I was recently reading one of my favourite publications on Substack (paid) Category Pirates and one of their recent issues: Living In The Future: How Pattern Breakers Defy Convention To Design New Categories.
It was bang on the mark with a list of things I have been thinking about and pondering. For example, pattern breakers don’t ask, “How do I improve this?”
They ask, “What if this worked completely differently?”
Instead of improving what already exists, they create something that didn’t exist before.
The evolution of ‘smartphones’ has been fascinating to watch — and participate in.
Innovations like these, the Internet, Artificial Intelligence, etc. — these aren’t just tweaks or improvements. They’re entirely new ways of thinking, thought up and built by people who refused to stay inside the box.
As the Category Pirates (and others) point out - Pattern breakers don’t just compete. They create new worlds.
The Courage to Be Unreasonable
The reality though, breaking patterns doesn’t just take vision.
It takes courage, and a shit tonne of perseverance.
It means stepping away from what feels safe, has felt safe, and even logical. It means risking criticism, ostracism, and failure (sometimes multiple failures).
When I left my decade-long career to build Box Cutter Co., people thought I was reckless. (One family member actually stopped talking to my wife and I for almost 2 years).
“What!!? You’re walking away from stability? Benefits? A pension?”
Yes, I was.
Staying in that box—predictable, steady, and “reasonable”—was suffocating. My career, my identity, my creative spirit, and my soul felt stuck.
Being reasonable might keep you comfortable—and/or others—but it will not make you come alive and thrive.
How to Break Patterns in Your Life and Work
You don’t have to burn everything down overnight. But you can take some first steps. Here’s some to consider:
1. Reframe the Problem
Stop asking, “How can I do this better?”
Start asking, “What might this look like if I started from scratch?”
And, “What could this look like in 1, 3, 5 years?”
Example: If your writing feels stuck in a rut, stop chasing what works for others.
If your work and career feel stuck, don’t get mired in thinking a promotion will make it better.
Ask yourself:
What stories can I tell that no one else can?
What story do I want to live that no one else can?
(Write these out in a Learning Journal or otherwise)
2. Challenge Assumptions
Take a belief you’ve held onto and examine it.
Like “get a good job, stay in it, and work myself up the ladder to higher pay and more benefits.”
Or, “if I want to ‘grow’ on social media, I must post content that everyone wants to read and engage with.”
Why do you believe these things?
What happens if it’s wrong?
What’s possible if they are wrong and you got unreasonable with the status-quo?
Example: After more than two years of writing and posting relentlessly online — I see what gets all the ❤️’s and 👍’s and ♼ (reposts), etc.
It’s Obvious content. It’s easy to digest, agreeable, and reasonable content.
And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just not what I’m interested in writing, creating, and posting.
I thrive in the Non-obvious, and I believe there are enough others that do, too. Non-obvious generally generates some more thinking and reflection. It pushes against our brain’s natural energy-conserving hardwiring.
3. Reimagine the Boundaries of What’s Possible
Think beyond what exists and create new frameworks for your work—some that don’t just tweak the old but redefine it entirely.
Use language intentionally to reshape how you—and others—perceive your work.
Words are powerful tools. They don’t just describe reality; they create it.
For example, don’t just ‘start a newsletter’ to share ideas. Build a dynamic, fluid idea ecosystem—a space where your experiments, insights, and evolving narrative live together, connected and growing.
Maybe call it an “Idea Lab” or a “Thought Studio” or a “Creativity Hatchery”…
This isn’t about simply adding more layers of content to the digital and hardcopy worlds (especially the AI-generated bumpf). It’s about creating different ways for others to experience your work and for you to experience and be yourself.
Make it unmistakably and unreasonably yours.
4. Think and Act Differently
Think about your habits. What’s something you always default to? Try the opposite for a week. Or even try a day, maybe even an hour.
For example, if you always write polished, “safe” posts you know won’t ruffle your colleague’s feathers, try something raw, imperfect, and experimental.
Creativity thrives on risk. Sometimes, the imperfect and unfiltered can be precisely what connects most deeply with others.
Why Does This Matter
The world doesn’t need more people ‘continuously improving’ (yes, this is an official thing) the same old tired systems.
It’s in need of more people willing to break them and try something different.
Whether you’re writing, running a business, or questioning your career, your success often doesn’t depend on being better. It can often depend on being different.
And being different means stepping into the unknown.
Surprising to some… the word ‘innovate’ actually means to bring in the ‘new’. To bring in the ‘new’ means it’s different than the old. This means breaking patterns you often didn’t even realize were there.
It means seeing the world not as it is but as it could be.
Unreasonable? Probably, yes.
However, I’ve learned that sometimes, the best things in life never make sense at first.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be different. Breaking out of the box isn’t about being better. It becomes about seeing things in a way no one else does.
And that? That’s how you build something unreasonably extraordinary.
👉 Are you building anything unreasonable?
👉 How do you feel about being unreasonable?
That’s it for this issue. Thank you to those who have become paid subscribers. You are vital in keeping this work supported with some energy exchange.
If you are not a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one. Curious about something? drop me a line — and thanks to those of you who do.
The next issue of Box Cutter Co. will be out shortly.