“What we don’t know, we don’t know” is often used as a polite shield. It softens guilt. It cushions shame. It helps us sit more comfortably with decisions that did not work.
But ignorance plays a stranger role in life than we admit.
We chase information believing that more data equals better decisions. That sounds rational. Yet many successful start-ups would never have begun if the founders had fully absorbed the statistical odds. Most new ventures fail. Markets are crowded. Competitors are ruthless. Capital is scarce. If every founder deeply internalised those probabilities, many companies that now employ thousands would not exist.
There is something quietly powerful about partial ignorance.
Not reckless ignorance. Not denial. But incomplete knowledge that allows courage to breathe.
Often it is only after success that founders truly understand how slim their odds were. In hindsight, the mountain looks steeper than it did on the way up. If they had seen the full incline at the start, they might have stayed at base camp.
So ignorance can sometimes be a blessing in disguise. It should never be a strategy. But waiting to know everything before acting is also a trap. Perfect information is a myth. Decisions are made under uncertainty. Always.
The real distinction between good and bad luck is not how much information we have. It is whether the right information reaches us at the right time.
Good luck is timely clarity.
Bad luck is missing a critical signal that was never on our radar.
It is less about volume of information and more about timing and relevance.
In business, wisdom is not knowing everything. It is knowing when you know enough to move — and remaining alert enough to adapt when new information arrives.
The world rarely rewards perfect preparation. It rewards informed courage.
