limited downside, unbounded upside
I've been thinking about opportunities and how we decide what to pursue and what to discard. While perusing Substack, I came across this theory called the trampoline theory (not to be confused with the theory in physics that explains the energy of elastic objects, or another trampoline theory on stress urinary incontinence -- although maybe some of the same principles apply?).
The main premise, which I quote from the blogger who, I believe, came up with it:
An opportunity worth chasing must have a limited downside and an open-ended upside.
Basically, there needs to be a floor to how bad things can get and an uncapped ceiling to how great things can be for something to be a good opportunity. Bounce potential describes the upside, how high you can go. I love this plane. All possibilities!
But when you jump too high, or try to do something out of your depth, you might fall hard without a secure base to catch you. That’s where a trampoline comes in handy. With a trampoline, the worst thing that can happen is that you bounce back to where you started. And when you’re on a roll, the spring beneath you can be just the assurance you need to gain greater speed, height, and momentum.
There are holes to this framework for sure, since ultimately opportunity cost is hard to calculate. For example, an unbounded upside doesn’t always create more opportunities. It may be an excuse to “keep options open” without ever committing. A trampoline is also not the best vehicle for lateral jumps, or if your body is constrained and you just want to get from Point A to Point B. Is it ever better to stop jumping altogether?
Regardless, there’s something about a trampoline that invites a sense of playfulness and a release of the need to know. I didn’t have a trampoline for today’s moving meditation but with the ground beneath my feet and some space over my head, I found that the force of my jumps was enough to generate my own bounce potential.
Move: Jumping Jacks, Jump Rope, Knee Taps, Leaps, Messy Sautés. Anything that brings a bounce to your step.
Meditate: Ask yourself what you need in the moment: more space over your head, or a secure base to catch yourself?
Message: Stop overthinking and bounce.
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