Can this thread save your life, and perhaps countless others? Yes.

[thechosen1]

I started a thread awhile back about asymmetric returns - basically the opposite of a DARE. I was wondering if there was a better thread on this, or if someone would start one, as mine was a bit of a stub.

The idea of this thread is very important, but it would be even better to see it contrasted with the opposite: positive probability activities, low risk, high reward potential

My number one example? Meeting new people. Very low risk, endless possibilities - and fun, too!

 

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[Connor]

@MJ DeMarco Thanks for sharing this - really struck home for me for a couple of reasons:

1. Been dealing with multiple health issues that have all hit at once. None of them are life-threatening, but they've impacted my lifestyle and mental health while I try to manage them/improve them. Some of these issues are things that aren't supposed to be happening based on my age, fitness level, etc. so I get into the "this is unfair" routine in my head at times. The driver who was killed did nothing wrong and ended up way worse than I, so a great reminder that I still have my life and should be grateful.
2. I've been working on cutting down on my alcohol intake these last few months, as I had been using that for stress relief and have a lot of happy hours & dinners with work. Very easy to think that I'm not drunk so I'm good to drive, but I've been guilty of driving buzzed a few times in the last year. No longer after reading this. Not worth it and would hate myself for the rest of my life if something happened.

Glad they hit their fundraising goal, and I am very happy to see the positive impact this thread has already had on several people, including myself. Terrible thing to happen but if some good can come out of it, makes his life mean even more.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Question...

I was thinking about writing a short book which highlights various real stories of people who destroyed their lives with ONE DECISION, or as I call them, DAREs.

I think a book like this is worth my effort because it might actually save lives, and if it is even one life, it would be worth my time and effort. It also shouldn't be terribly hard to produce, and I could offer it as a freebie.

Question is, what should I title it? I don't like to write books without first having them titled.

I originally just thought of calling it "DARE" but it seems a bit bland and doesn't really describe the content.

Then I thought of calling it Asymmetric Stupidity ... but sometimes poor decisions are stupid decisions, just not well thought out.

DARE to DARE?

Any ideas?

Please share and contribute to the brainstorm -- read this thread if you DO NOT know what a DARE is.

 

[doster.zach]

I originally just thought of calling it "DARE" but it seems a bit bland and doesn't really describe the content.

DARE might be too associated with the anti-drug movement. I know that's the first thing I think of lol.

 

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[Ronak]

"One Bad Decision"

 

[MTF]

Question...

I was thinking about writing a short book which highlights various real stories of people who destroyed their lives with ONE DECISION, or as I call them, DAREs.

I think a book like this is worth my effort because it might actually save lives, and if it is even one life, it would be worth my time and effort. It also shouldnt be terrible hard to produce, and I could offer it as a freebie.

Question is, what should I title it? I don't like to write books without first having them titled.

I originally just thought of calling it "DARE" but it seems a bit bland and doesn't really describe the content.

Then I thought of calling it Asymmetric Stupidity ... but sometimes poor decisions are stupid decisions, just not well thought out.

DARE to DARE?

Any ideas?

Please share and contribute to the brainstorm -- read this thread if you DO NOT know what a DARE is.

Great idea for a book. Does it have to be a short title, a one word title or doesn't matter?

Maybe (all of these would need a subtitle to make it work):

- Don't (so weird it might work)
- Wrong Paths
- If I Could Turn Back Time
- Reckless
- Foolish Choices, Ruined Lives
- Stop and Think
- Before You Destroy Your Life
- Not Worth It

 

[MJ DeMarco]

DARE might be too associated with the anti-drug movement. I know that's the first thing I think of lol.

You're right, I couldn't figure out why I didn't like it.

 

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[eramart]

- Wrong Turn
- Think or DARE?

 

[doster.zach]

Question...

I was thinking about writing a short book which highlights various real stories of people who destroyed their lives with ONE DECISION, or as I call them, DAREs.

I think a book like this is worth my effort because it might actually save lives, and if it is even one life, it would be worth my time and effort. It also shouldn't be terribly hard to produce, and I could offer it as a freebie.

Question is, what should I title it? I don't like to write books without first having them titled.

I originally just thought of calling it "DARE" but it seems a bit bland and doesn't really describe the content.

Then I thought of calling it Asymmetric Stupidity ... but sometimes poor decisions are stupid decisions, just not well thought out.

DARE to DARE?

Any ideas?

Please share and contribute to the brainstorm -- read this thread if you DO NOT know what a DARE is.

Rich Dad, Dead Dad

 

[thechosen1]

Hold My Beer
Famous Last Words

Maybe I'm thinking too comedic

 

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[MTF]

Hold My Beer
Famous Last Words

Maybe I'm thinking too comedic

Hold my be-ER, I'm going to the ER

 

[Rabby]

Simple Steps to Ruin Your Life
Strategies for Achieving Misery and an Untimely End

I'm always a fan of the explanatory sub-headers.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Simple Steps to Ruin Your Life
Strategies for Achieving Misery and an Untimely End

I'm always a fan of the explanatory sub-headers.

Sounds like something i don't want to read!

 

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[Antifragile]

a short book which highlights various real stories of people who destroyed their lives with ONE DECISION

Sounds depressing ...

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Hold My Beer

That actually might work... has a pop culture resonance and is light-hearted for what can be a serious subject.

 

[thechosen1]

That actually might work... has a pop culture resonance and is light-hearted for what can be a serious subject.

The phrase itself has become a bit of a meme. Someone might have trademarked it already, but if not, it's a very valuable phrase.

If you use it, will you let me know? Would be cool!

 

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[Rubi76]

I would title it:

"Objects in mirror are closer than they appear"

 

[DWX]

Brain farts incoming...

Don't DARE / Don't You DARE
DARE and Destruction
I Fuc*ed Up
Ruin
One Stupid Mistake
The End
The Moment I Screwed Up
Losing It All
WTF
What Did I Do?
Screwed
The Fall of Falls
Rock Bottom

 

[Agent X]

Personal Black Swans
Tales of Self-Destruction and Strategies to Avoid Ruin

 

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[LarryN99]

Lost in the sauce

 

[FitRay]

"It takes one faulty thought ..."
Subtitle: "X short stories of people who destroyed their lives with one decision"

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Personal Black Swans

I think the term "black swan" is coined originally by another author, it would be like another author titling his book "productocracy"

 

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[jdh]

Sounds like something i don't want to read!

How about wording it positively which also happens to be the title of a song:

"How to save a life"
And could use avoidance in the subtitle then:
"23 tales to help you avoid bad decisions."

 

[mdot]

The Darkest Road
How a wrong turn can transform life into a one-way street.

Cover Art: Night time. The photo focuses on the entrance to a narrow alleyway along a decently clean and lit street. The alley entrance is illuminated by an enticing, ornate light fixture, but beyond its warmth the path becomes entombed by an eerie, void-like darkness.

 

[Bekit]

Just thinking aloud here... but if the title conveys, "This is a book about stupid decisions people made," the problem with that is that people are going to be expecting something entertaining along the lines of the Darwin Awards, and if it's not over-the-top ridiculous / inconceivable / slapstick, they'll be disappointed and miss the core message due to the mismatch of expectations. Or they will be expecting something depressing, in which case they won't read it.

If the title conveys, "This is a book about stupid decisions people made, and how you can be less stupid," I don't think it will hit a nerve. There's not a strong enough pain point. Most people have a favorable bias towards themselves. "I know other people are stupid, but I'm not, so I don't need to read a book like that."

So what does the title need to convey in order to (A) set expectations accurately about what's in the book, (B) evoke curiosity, and (C) feel like the promise is compelling enough to want to read the book?

I think if the title conveys, "This book is about a simple decision-making tactic that anyone can employ to avoid pitfalls, sidestep huge downsides, and preserve wealth. It costs nothing to use this tactic, but it is so powerful it could even save your life" - that would be an intriguing book.

So boiling that down to a nice, snappy title, I think the angles that stand out to me are...

• "Save your life" angle (inspired from the thread title, "can-this-book-save-your-life-and-perhaps-countless-others-yes")
• Decision-making angle - Adopt the decision making framework that takes asymmetric downside into account, especially when it's a snap decision or an "I dare you" moment
• "Hold my beer" angle - hints at the potential stupidity and also the "I dare you" circumstances where these DARE events often arise
• "Lopsided" angle - tiny upside if it goes well, massive downside if it does not

Now, at the risk of overthinking this, I think that I also want to take into account the fact that we're not talking about going to great lengths to avoid freak accidents because of the theoretical possibility of risk. Correct me if I'm wrong, but we're not talking about, say, a situation like Christopher Reeves and arguing, "You shouldn't ever be a movie actor doing stunts, because you might break your neck and get paralyzed for the rest of your life." We're not talking about never driving a car again because of the potential asymmetric downside risk that you might get in a car accident. We're talking about impetuous or negligent decisions where there's little margin for error and the potential downside is clearly visible. Drinking and driving. Texting and driving. Pulling the trigger on a firearm you *think* is unloaded but haven't checked. Crossing the street without looking.

And then for translating that into a book title... I'm going to have to think on that separately...

 

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[Abe]

Question...

I was thinking about writing a short book which highlights various real stories of people who destroyed their lives with ONE DECISION, or as I call them, DAREs.

I think a book like this is worth my effort because it might actually save lives, and if it is even one life, it would be worth my time and effort. It also shouldn't be terribly hard to produce, and I could offer it as a freebie.

Question is, what should I title it? I don't like to write books without first having them titled.

I originally just thought of calling it "DARE" but it seems a bit bland and doesn't really describe the content.

Then I thought of calling it Asymmetric Stupidity ... but sometimes poor decisions are stupid decisions, just not well thought out.

DARE to DARE?

Any ideas?

Please share and contribute to the brainstorm -- read this thread if you DO NOT know what a DARE is.

"Dont you DARE"

 

[Tommo]

"The Brain less Travelled"

 

[Agent X]

I think the term "black swan" is coined originally by another author, it would be like another author titling his book "productocracy"

Good point. Best to not use that.

What about using the anology of rogue waves or shipwrecks since so many people in the past put so much hope into a ship making it to its destination. It's where the term of "having my ship come in" meaning that you have made it rich. But you are thinking of things you can control, and those have external factors.

 

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[gmh33]

Stupid Prizes

I was trying to come up with titles related to driving (road to ruin, etc), but I think the title above would work because of the meme, which is also mentioned in unscripted . Alt Stupid Games would also work, it would set up the idea of a “game” with bad odds, nontrivial odds of catastrophic outcomes (ie, DAREs).

 

[Jadus]

Think Twice! or
Think Again!