Calculated Bad Ideas

We learn far more from our failures than we do from our successes. Failures hit very hard, very deeply, and the impacts made last for a very long time. Failures are by no means pleasant, but they are a cost to pay for your future gains. They give you experiences to draw from forever.

Our failures largely come from bad ideas. Going out and partying when you know you have to wake up early the next day is a bad idea. Starting a fight with somebody who can beat you is a bad idea. Putting off your assignments until the last minute is a bad idea.

I don't recommend following through on bad ideas just for the sake of a learning experience, but without them, I can't help but feel that one would be missing out to some degree. So, what if you carefully planned doing something stupid? What if you tried a calculated bad idea?

Go out partying, but come back at midnight instead of 4 AM. Start a fight with somebody, but be willing to throw in the towel (note: this works way better with word fights than fist fights). Put off your assignments, but always know exactly how much time you need to complete them so that you are never past the deadline.

In a calculated bad idea, you still get the adrenaline rush or the stress relief that bad ideas give you, but you still stay within the realm of safety. You get as close to that line of danger as you feel comfortable, and you still feel excited from having done it. And the closer you get to that line, the more you learn just how much you don't actually want to cross it.

Learning lessons the hard way sucks. Learning lessons from calculated bad ideas is a pretty decent alternative.