Why I do stupid things and why you should too
There I was.
150 feet in the air with nothing but a thick forest below me.
I could hear the wind whistle as it blew past me, and I don’t remember if I was shivering because it was cold or because I was scared.
The coordinator handed me the hook and signalled that it was my turn to slide down the zip line…
“What have I gotten myself into?” I whispered under my breath.
My family was healthy, my startup had just expanded to another country, our core metrics were growing, and we were about to raise money from some exciting investors. Life was really starting to look up!
Why would I put myself in this situation knowing that there was a risk of fatality if something went wrong? why?!
This was not the first time I’d found myself in a situation like this. No.
It was also not the last.
People who know me well know that it’s not uncommon to find me doing things that may seem quite stupid if you think about it.
I mean, I moved to a country I had never been to for 6 months with less than a week of planning.
I book solo trips to cities where nobody speaks English knowing that communication will be challenging.
I seek high-risk recreational activities. The kind that requires you to sign a waiver before you start.
I do a lot of stupid, stupid things.
While it’s easy to label me as an adrenaline junkie, there’s a lot less biology involved.
This is how I think of it.
The most important and life-changing things I’m going to achieve are going to come with a lot of fear and resistance. I’m going to overthink things, be too tired to persevere, or maybe I’ll be just too scared to take action.
So if I can get enough practice in convincing myself to do ‘stupid’ things, then maybe I’ll get better at taking hard but important actions that can help me achieve my goals.
If you think about it, it’s the same mental muscles that help you keep going even when you’re scared and want to stop.
The same muscles you need to start that business, the same ones you need to post that video, the same muscles that you need to apply for that job and send that DM.
You need to spend time building those mental muscles, and doing ‘stupid’ things is an easy way to achieve this.
It has worked for me and I think it will work for you too.
That is why I want you to do ‘stupid’ things with me.
As you do ‘stupid’ things, you will learn to overcome fear and take action. You’ll achieve things that you’re proud of. You’ll learn to persevere and follow-through when you need to.
You’ll also have more stories to tell your grand kids when you’re older.
So the next time you get the opportunity to do something interesting but ‘stupid’, do it.
Do something ‘stupid’ today, so it’s easier to do great things tomorrow.
Hey, thanks for reading. I’m trying to be consistent with writing this year, so I appreciate you reading this.
If you enjoyed reading this, then I’d like you to share it with someone who needs to get more comfortable with doing ’stupid’ things. You’d be helping them.
