Think Like a Rocket Scientist

“In order to stay calm in a high-stress, high-stakes situation, all you really need is knowledge.… Being forced to confront the prospect of failure head-on—to study it, dissect it, tease apart all its components

“In order to stay calm in a high-stress, high-stakes situation, all you really need is knowledge.… Being forced to confront the prospect of failure head-on—to study it, dissect it, tease apart all its components and consequences—really works.”67

Even when riding on top of a flimsy rocket, many of the early astronauts felt in control because they were personally involved in designing the spacecraft.

when uncertainty lacks boundaries, discomfort becomes acute.

“Fear comes from not knowing what to expect and not feeling you have any control over what’s about to happen,”

If you’re not sure what to be alarmed about, everything is alarming.”

Ask yourself, What’s the worst-case scenario? And how likely is that scenario, given what I know?

Writing down your concerns and uncertainties—what you know and what you don’t know—undresses them. Once you lift up the curtain and turn the unknown unknowns into known unknowns, you defang them.

You’ll also realize that in all likelihood, the things that matter most to you will still be there, no matter what happens.

And don’t forget the upside. In addition to considering the worst-case scenario, also ask yourself, What’s the best that can happen? Our negative thoughts resonate far more than our positive ones do.

The brain, to paraphrase psychologist Rick Hanson, is like Velcro for the negative but Teflon for the positive. Unless you consider the best-case scenario along with the worst, your brain will steer you toward the seemingly safest path—inaction.

the apparent safety that redundancy provides can lead people to make sloppy decisions.

you’re making irreversible one-way decisions, go for higher margins of safety.

If you’re making irreversible one-way decisions, go for higher margins of safety.

When we face uncertainty, we often manufacture excuses for not getting started. I’m not qualified. I don’t feel ready. I don’t have the right contacts.

When we face uncertainty, we often manufacture excuses for not getting started. I’m not qualified. I don’t feel ready. I don’t have the right contacts. I don’t have enough time. We don’t start walking until we find an approach that’s guaranteed to work

absolute certainty is a mirage. In life, we’re required to base our opinions on imperfect information and make a call with sketchy data.

The path, as the mystic poet Rumi writes, won’t appear until you start walking.

Start walking because your small steps will eventually become giant leaps.

futon in his office and showered at the local YMCA.