Sam Thomas Davies's Blog, page 2

Words Into Works #144 | The Empty Boat Principle

Have you ever sat gripping the steering wheel, quietly fuming, mentally rehearsing exactly what you’d say to the driver who just cut you off? I certainly have. Just yesterday, someone swerved suddenly into my lane, and instantly, I felt targeted as if they’d done it intentionally to provoke me. Or perhaps you’ve had a similar […]

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Words Into Works #143 | Pre-Mortem Thinking

You’ve poured weeks into preparing a pivotal presentation. You’ve rehearsed meticulously, envisioned applause, anticipated success. But what if the smartest move isn’t visualizing victory at all? What if, paradoxically, your greatest advantage lies in picturing disaster before it unfolds? In her book Thinking in Bets, Annie Duke—a former professional poker champion who built her career […]

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Words Into Works #142 | Identity Capital

Five years after graduating college, Emma felt like she’d checked all the boxes. She’d taken jobs that paid well, offered stability, and promised clear next steps. But despite the outward success, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. Meanwhile, her classmate, Marcus, whose early career was dotted with unconventional moves—an internship abroad, a […]

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Words Into Works #141 | The Life Razor

April 13, 1970. The Apollo 13 crew is in trouble. Three days into their mission, an oxygen tank explodes, crippling the spacecraft. Systems fail. Oxygen dwindles. Home is 200,000 miles away. To survive, they must adjust their trajectory—by hand. No computers. No precise calculations. Just three astronauts, floating in the void, relying on instinct and […]

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Words Into Works #140 | The Ulysses Pact

There’s a pivotal moment in The Odyssey when Ulysses, knowing he won’t resist the sirens’ deadly call, takes a radical step. He doesn’t trust willpower. Instead, he binds himself to the mast and orders his crew to plug their ears and keep rowing no matter how much he begs. It works. He thrashes, he pleads, […]

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Words Into Works #139 | The JOLT Effect

Have you ever stared at an email draft for too long, tweaking a word here, deleting a sentence, and then putting it back like some indecision-fueled dance? Or maybe you’ve been meaning to make a career move, but instead of deciding, you research. And research. And research. You tell yourself you’re being thorough, gathering all […]

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Words Into Works #138 | The Personal Monopoly

A few years ago, I had a thought that made me deeply uncomfortable: If I disappeared tomorrow, would it actually matter? Not in the existential “Would people miss me?” way—(hopefully, yes)—but in the professional sense. Would my work leave a gap so specific that no one else could fill it? The honest answer is probably […]

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Words Into Works #137 | The Expectation Effect

Two marathon runners stand at the starting line. Both have trained for months, pushing through grueling miles and intense workouts. However, one views the race as an exhilarating challenge, the finish line a triumph waiting to happen. The other sees only the pain and exhaustion ahead. Same course. Same conditions. Yet research suggests their expectations—not […]

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Words Into Works #136 | Munger’s Latticework

Why do some people consistently make better decisions, even in areas they’ve never studied? Whether choosing the right career move, making sense of market trends, or just navigating daily life quickly, these individuals often seem to have a secret advantage. Here’s the good news: They do. And you can cultivate it, too. Warren Buffett’s legendary […]

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Words Into Works #135 | The The Regret Optimization Framework

Regret. The word feels heavy, doesn’t it? We’ve all felt its weight. A moment we wish we could redo. A chance left untaken. A mistake we couldn’t undo. Conventional wisdom tells us to “live with no regrets,” as if burying these feelings will lighten the load. But what if regret isn’t something to escape? What […]

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