A circular ramp, pink walls, raw concrete, curved motion. At first glance, it seems like it leads somewhere. But zoom in: there’s no visible destination. Just an endless loop of textured monotony. That’s exactly what your thinking looks like when you fall into the trap of circular reasoning – the illusion of forward movement while mentally stagnating in a closed loop.
The Trap: Circular Reasoning Disguised as Strategy
Circular reasoning is not just a logical fallacy. It’s a full-blown lifestyle. It sounds like this:
- “We do it this way because it works.”
- “It works because we’ve always done it this way.”
- “Why question it? It got us this far.”
You call it tradition. You call it best practice. You even call it leadership.
But what you’re really doing is spinning around the same justification loop, never stepping outside to reframe your logic.
This isn’t thinking. This is recycling. And just like the image above, you’re mistaking a spiral for a staircase.
The Consequences: When the Loop Becomes Your World
In Your Personal Life
- You stay in relationships not because they’re fulfilling, but because “we’ve been through so much together.”
- You keep chasing the same goals – not because they still matter, but because “I’ve already invested so much time.”
- You argue in circles, justify your habits, and call that “self-awareness.”
The loop becomes your comfort zone. You stop questioning the road because questioning hurts more than staying stuck.
In Your Professional Life
- Strategies are built on outdated KPIs – and then those KPIs are used to validate the strategy.
- Leadership clings to its own logic: “We’re successful because we’re consistent” – and “We’re consistent because it works.”
- Innovation dies in meeting rooms where no one dares to ask: “Wait – what if our whole premise is flawed?”
And the most dangerous part? It feels like progress. You’re moving. You’re busy. But you’re going nowhere.
The Way Out: R2A Your Thinking (Reflect – Analyze – Advance)
REFLECT – Where are you going, really?
Ask yourself this brutal question:
If you removed the effort you’ve already put in – would this still make sense?
- What belief, project, or relationship are you justifying only because you’ve been in it too long?
- What argument do you keep repeating to yourself that never really resolves anything?
Stop glorifying mental momentum. Pause. Step off the ramp. Look around. Is there even a door?
ANALYZE – Map the Loop
Take one stubborn belief or recurring justification and diagram it. Literally.
- What is the claim?
- What is the justification?
- Where does the justification come from?
- Does it point back to the claim?
Boom. Loop exposed.
Now add an external challenge:
- What evidence would contradict this?
- What would someone from a radically different context say about it?
Circular reasoning dies under contrast.
ADVANCE – Burn the Ramp
Once the loop is clear, don’t just step aside – destroy it. Replace it with a new question, not a new conclusion.
Examples:
- Replace: “It works because we’ve always done it this way.”
With: “What would we do if we started from scratch today?” - Replace: “I can’t give up now, I’ve come too far.”
With: “Would I choose this path again right now?” - Replace: “This is just who I am.”
With: “What kind of person would I become if I questioned that?”
New direction begins not with a new answer – but with the courage to ask a different kind of question.
Break the Loop – or Live in It
This isn’t just about thinking better.
It’s about not wasting your life walking in circles, calling it a journey.
It’s about spotting the fake exits your mind constructs to feel safe.
It’s about destroying the smooth, comforting spiral of self-confirmation that leads exactly nowhere.
So here’s your challenge:
Pick one decision you’ve been justifying for too long.
Expose the loop.
Replace it with a question that has no default answer.
And for once – don’t return to the ramp.
R2049 