Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life

by Ozan Varol

But when we fail to look in the mirror and recognize that we succeeded despite making a mistake and despite taking an unwise risk, we court catastrophe. The bad decisions and the dangers will continue into the future, and the success we once experienced will someday elude us. This is why child prodigies unravel. This is why the housing market, believed to be the bedrock of the American economy, crumbled. This is why Kodak, Blockbuster, and Polaroid flamed out. In each case, the unsinkable sinks, the uncrashable crashes, and the indestructible self-destructs—because we assume their previous success secures their future. Surviving your own success can be more difficult than surviving your own failure. We must treat success like a seemingly friendly group of Greeks bearing a big, beautiful gift called a Trojan horse. We must take measures to maintain humility before the Greeks arrive. We must treat our work—and ourselves—as permanent works in progress.