Crazy or Disciplined?

http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/crazy_or_disciplined/

by imgabe • 16 years ago

252 25 16 years ago

kmt• 16 years ago

I'm quoting the last paragraph which is a summary:

"The best you can hope for in this life is that your delusions are benign and your compulsions have utility."

In my mind, the whole post is very much worth reading. "This life" is basically here and now since times and societies change.

Reminds me of how back in the day I chose to do software although I had other talents and passions as well. It was not an easy choice but here I am now.

haroldp• 16 years ago

You could turn it into a salute or blessing like, "May your delusions be benign and your compulsions have utility"

minalecs• 16 years ago

I like it.. sign me up .. almost like vulcan "live long and prosper" .. we can be known as the adamites

hrabago• 16 years ago

I have this problem as well. I keep getting the urge to code. I keep hoping it becomes practical and that I get something (meaning $) out of it, but the truth is that's just an excuse I use to justify spending so much of my free time to code. The problem is that once I've solved the core coding problems, progress stalls. I'm still worried about the day my wife gives up on the idea and I lose the coding time I get now.

allenp• 16 years ago

I know what you mean. I did that a lot (hard coding problems, hoping to get money, just an excuse to code). What I ended up realizing was that for me coding is like mountain climbing, and that I really enjoy each new peak.

There is some research into the problem space, the ascent, the feeling of victory, but the descent (aka the supporting code around the core problem) while possibly challenging just isn't satisfying.

If you're able (hourly pay/equity/whatever) and want to see some of your things get off the ground, find someone else that hasn't climbed those boring/supporting peaks and give them a chance to help and to do some climbing of their own.

eelco• 16 years ago

Better yet, find someone that can ship. (And watch Seth Godin talk: http://vimeo.com/5895898)

byrneseyeview2• 16 years ago

Reminds me of the MIT guide to avoiding burnout:

http://www.zianet.com/wpickens/jokes/mit.html

dctoedt• 16 years ago

You ought to post this link separately.

byrneseyeview2• 16 years ago

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1162832

freshfunk2• 16 years ago

Meh. Interesting juxtapositions but it doesn't really do it for me.

There is a fine line between barking at the moon and a 5% chance of success? Really? I think a more apt comparison would be barking at the moon and selling all your possessions to buy as many lottery tickets as you can.

OCD is compared to disciplined exercise?

If Warren Buffet were born in medieval times, I doubt he would be considered crazy. He'd probably end up being seen and resourceful (having read his biography).

Lastly, I resent the comparison of religion to insanity.

Where I do agree is the notion that entrepreneurship requires some leap of faith that tends to go against the typical career route most professionals are ingrained with. However, I think most sane entrepreneurs (heh) usually have some background and expertise that will increase their chances of success in their venture.

Taking measured risk is not that close to crazy. People do it when they switch jobs or careers.

boredguy8• 16 years ago

"Lastly, I resent the comparison of religion to insanity."

For what it's worth, he's not comparing religion to insanity by saying they're the same thing. He's saying all three people (or the fourth with the atheist) can't each be right.

Which is true.

jackfoxy• 16 years ago

"Which is true."

Not so fast. There are propositons in arithmetic which are unprovable, Even getting the 3 (or 4) individuals to come up with a common set of boolean propositions is probably difficult, to say the least. Then coming up with a means to prove...

lotharbot• 16 years ago

"Taking measured risk is not that close to crazy."

Depends on how carefully measured the risk is, what the possible payouts are, what the fallback plan is... and it depends on whose perspective is being taken.

Where do you draw the line between "taking a good risk", "taking a bad risk", and "taking a crazy stupid risk"? What happens when you think a risk is good and everyone around you think it's stupid and you're crazy for taking it?

I'd never buy a lottery ticket, but I have long-term disability insurance. Both have a negative expected value and a rare but high possible payout. The only thing that makes insurance "smart" and the lottery "crazy" is that with insurance the payoff happens exactly in the circumstance you need it to. Sometimes the line between smart and crazy is really, really thin.

freshfunk2• 16 years ago

What I meant was the line I prefaced this statement with: "However, I think most sane entrepreneurs (heh) usually have some background and expertise that will increase their chances of success in their venture."

When I think of "measured risk", I think of investing. Any kind, whether it's buying stocks or VCs investing money in your company. Both actions carry some risk.. much like becoming an entrepreneur carries risk. But in any of these situations you can do some sort of due diligence whether it's knowing the fundamentals of a stock and knowledge of a sector (when buying a stock), looking at metrics/product and understanding an industry (VCs) or having experience and knowledge of a certain sector and having the domain expertise to accomplish your goals (entrepreneurship).

donaq• 16 years ago

Well, he did specify a 5% chance of success...

ZeroGravitas• 16 years ago

You've missed his point. Why are you taking that risk? The motive or impulse for the "crazy" thing and the "normal" thing may be the same. That doesn't change the rules of physics that affect the moon but it does change how you look at the people doing "normal" things for (potentially) "crazy" reasons. And he's clearly saying that religion, exercise and entrepreneurship are normal.

joez• 16 years ago

I like the quote about Warren Buffet. I sometimes wonder about how useful my current skill set would be in a world war. But I think zombie apocalypse (or, more realistically, the possibility of a startup) are reasons the to stay curious and have hobbies.

zende• 16 years ago

being a workaholic is having an addiction. It just happens that the thing you're addicted to can have a positive outcome, but it is an addiction nonetheless

robryan• 16 years ago

As far as addictions go it is one of the more positive ones. I think it's great that I can sit here and get excited about spending 12 hours of a day doing thesis work or programming.

yread• 16 years ago

I guess he wrote it when drawing this: http://dilbert.com/2010-02-28/

DenisM• 16 years ago

If you want to start doubting your own sanity install screen recorder software and play it back at the end of the day. Every now and again you will discover things you do you had no recollection you were doing.

metamemetics• 16 years ago

60% of Americans believe the Noah's Ark story to be literally true.

Assuming you don't believe 2 members of every terrestrial species fit in a wooden boat and repopulated the entire Earth from complete extinction during man's lifetime, you are probably more sane than average.

EDIT: source: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/primetime/US/views_of_bible_p...

sown• 16 years ago

I hypothesize that a large number of those people cannot bring them selves to believe that Obama is a citizen, too.

halffinn• 16 years ago

don't we generally need to be both crazy and disciplined?

zasz• 16 years ago

The light switch and moon examples are really bad. There's no good practical reason for either of those. Running your own startup can be a lot more fun than working at a big company, and running five miles every day is just good for you.

The drawing example is good, though. Reminds me of moral luck: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-luck/

Crazy or Disciplined?

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