Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results

by Shane Parrish

While the rest of us are chasing victory, the best in the world know they must avoid losing before they can win. It turns out this is a surprisingly effective strategy.

In order to get the results we desire, we must do two things. We must first create the space to reason in our thoughts, feelings, and actions; and second, we must deliberately use that space to think clearly. Once you have mastered this skill, you will find you have an unstoppable advantage.

the accumulation of these moments makes accomplishing our goals easier or harder.

Each moment puts you in a better or worse position to handle the future. It’s that positioning that eventually makes life easier or harder.

Not all confidence is created equally. Sometimes, it comes from a track record of applying deep knowledge successfully, and other times it comes from the shallowness of reading an article.

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, as one of my kids learned the hard way.

One example I’ve seen too many times in the workplace is when you stop putting in 100 percent of what you are capable of because you feel underappreciated.[*]