the 3+ principle: Force yourself to explore at least three possible solutions to a problem. If you find yourself considering only two options, force yourself to find at least one more.

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. When our ego takes over and we show someone we’re the boss, we make the future harder. When we are passive-aggressive with a colleague at work, our relationship becomes worse.

There is always something you can do today to make the future easier, though, and the moment you stop complaining is the moment you start finding it.

False dualities prevent you from seeing alternative paths and other information that might change your mind. On the other hand, taking away one of two clear options forces you to reframe the problem and get unstuck.

The social rewards for going with the crowd are felt long before the benefits of going against it are gained.

The people with the best defaults are typically the ones with the best environment.

putting distance between yourself and your emotions, and realizing that you have the power to determine how you respond to them.

Good leaders determine what needs to get done and set the parameters for getting there. They don’t care whether something gets done differently from how they themselves would’ve done it. As long as it advances to the objective within the limits they’ve set, they’re satisfied.

combination of faith in prevailing with the discipline to confront brutal facts the Stockdale Paradox.