I originally wrote an article on ‘The Power of No’ after reflecting on a busy Monday-morning triage session. If I had to identify the single most important thing that kept me on track that day, and the single most important thing that allowed me to be most productive in my efforts, it was my ability…
You’re looking to make the big move. The one decision that changes everything. The perfect plan that guarantees success. Here’s a fact: for most of us, it doesn’t exist. Here’s what does exist: chaos. Not the panic kind, not the mess kind. The mathematical kind. The kind that means small changes in what you do…
Every living thing on the planet moves toward reward and away from punishment. Bacteria do it. Animals do it. You do it. It’s not complicated. It’s not sophisticated. It’s the most basic operating principle in all of biology: seek pleasure, avoid pain, move toward what helps you, move away from what hurts you. Charlie Munger…
Moving away from chaos, we need to move on to its close friend: causality. Causality is simple in theory. It’s the relationship between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effect), where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first. Press the button, the light turns on. Touch the fire,…
That cup of tea tastes so much better after you’ve been out in the cold and wet for an hour. Not because you made it differently. Not because the tea changed. You changed. You went from freezing to warm, from miserable to comfortable, and now every sip feels like a small miracle. That’s your brain…
On a surgical rotation, one of my old mentors at the time (thanks Rob) told me that there are three types of decisions you can make when you have a sick surgical patient in front of you. You can make the decision to operate and take the patient to the operating theatre. You can make…
You’re willing to do what it takes to succeed. You’ll work harder. You’ll sacrifice sleep. You’ll put in the hours. You’re ready for the challenge, the difficulty, the effort. But here’s the question you haven’t asked yourself: are you ready to accept the effect it will have on those around you? This is the Second…
There’s something I call the FOWI-FOMO scale, and it’s based on fear. Because used in the right way, fear is a good thing. It’s a pretty strong motivator, and if something’s going to get you moving in the right direction, fear can be the catalyst you need. The problem is that most people are being…
You’ve reached a pivotal point in this journey. And something fundamental has already shifted, whether you’ve noticed it or not. You can’t go back anymore. Not because retreat is physically impossible. Not because the bridge has literally burned behind you. But because the person who could retreat no longer exists. That version of you, the…
Would you rather have £90 today or £100 in a month? Have you ever thought about how long it would take for that decision to change? Most of you would take the £90. Right now. Guaranteed. In your hand today. And honestly, that’s exactly the response your brain is designed to give you. It feels…