Scrap Calm, Give Me Storms
~ a contrarian method for solving the “unsolvable”
The dream is seductive.
Clear skies. No deadlines. Time to prepare before opportunity arrives.
That day never comes. And it won’t.
The standard advice says, “adapt to chaos.”
True, but not enough.
The contrarian view: chaos isn’t a barrier; it’s the perfect problem-solving ground. It strips away the illusion of more time, forces decisions, and rewards learning speed over comfort.
Yes, that belief runs contrary to every failed attempt to solve a complex problem. That’s why most people tell themselves it’s impossible. But what if they’re wrong?
If the real aim is to solve something big and hard, the first step is to prove the method works on something real, not theoretical. No postponing. No perfect conditions. Test the method, then scale it.
Except it’s never like that.
Most will say you can’t out-plan reality. Others will point to the graveyard of failed “big fixes” and call it a fool’s errand.
They’re missing the point:
the aim is not to eliminate chaos but to make it an asset.
Chaos forces action.
It removes the option of waiting. It forces clarity. It rewards iteration. No one gets calm seas forever, but a well-built system can make storm and readiness work together
The Contrarian Problem-Solving Method
[to be completed in Step 2]
[to be completed in Step 2]
[to be completed in Step 2]
[to be completed in Step 2]
[to be completed in Step 2]
[to be completed in Step 2]
[to be completed in Step 2]
[to be completed in Step 2]
I’m not here to prove anything to anyone else. I’m here to prove this method works.
Once I do, the magic won’t be the first solution I find — it will be the tool itself. A tool that can solve for X again and again. Yes, AI is fast, but speed without a method is just noise. Pair the two, and the impossible starts to look possible.
Complex problems don’t wait for perfect conditions, and neither should I.
“Tomorrow, I’ll run a real, complex problem through this method, to see if it holds up.”
Basic Musings+ subscription is free; paid subscribers get bonus (+) content
- Archived SHORT STORIES + latest posting: Shadows on the Prairie
- Archived POETRY + latest postings … LEAD THE WAY and BAR SET HIGH, VERY HIGH
- Satisfaction tab: Here Comes Tomorrow
Other publications on my Substack:
Monday Morning Minute (32,400+) /// subscription is free; paid subscribers get bonus content
FACILITYCalgary (25,000) /// subscription is free, advertising/sponsorship
Returning this week:
REITrag
Thank you for reading Musings on Substack - the place where I publish this Musings column daily, and also post added content regularly, such as poems, short stories, and other editorial content - the ‘plus/+’ or bonus content available to ‘paid subscribers’
Life would be so very dull without a little chaos!