- mangofries
- Posts
- F*ck Around and Find Out: Ancient Wisdom in Modern Words
F*ck Around and Find Out: Ancient Wisdom in Modern Words
Why doing beats learning, every damn time.
Parves Shahid
December 04, 2024
Look at what the great philosophers said:
For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.
I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowledge is not enough; we must apply.
I’ll make it simpler for you.
F*ck Around and Find Out.
Aristotle, Confucius and Leonardo da Vinci were the OGs of FAFO: F*ck Around and Find Out.
Every day, we:
Read another article
Listen to another podcast
Save another thread
Highlight another book
And then? Usually nothing.
F*ck around and find out.
Crude? Yes. Powerful? Also yes.
We've built a world of infinite input and zero output. We consume endlessly but rarely create. We learn constantly but never apply.
The real learning? It's in the doing:
Want to write? Start typing
Want to build? Break something
Want to grow? Try stuff
This isn't about being reckless. It's about recognizing that your 100th saved thread about productivity won't make you productive. It’s about embracing imperfect action
The most valuable lessons don't come from another podcast episode. They come from trying something and seeing what happens.
The FAFO Framework
The concept is simple:
Less planning, more doing
Less theory, more practice
Less consuming, more creating
You can read about swimming for years. But at some point, you have to get in the water.
So today, try something instead of saving another thread or highlighting another book.
Face Your Fears: Identify the action you've been avoiding due to fear or uncertainty. Commit to taking one small step forward, even if it scares you.
Apply Your Knowledge: Think of one advice or insight you've recently consumed. Brainstorm one concrete way you can put it into practice today, no matter how imperfectly.
Fail Forward: Reframe a recent setback as a learning opportunity. What did that experience teach you? How can you apply that lesson to improve your next attempt?
Open to Opportunity: Say yes to an invitation or request that pushes you out of your comfort zone. Embrace the chance to stretch and grow, even if the outcome is uncertain.
F*ck Around. Find Out. Repeat.
Because sometimes the wisest philosophy comes in the crudest package.
Reply