Problems are rarely as bad as we think–or rather, they are precisely as bad as we think.
It’s a huge step forward to realize that the worst thing to happen is never the event, but the event and losing your head. Because then you’ll have two problems (one of them unnecessary and post hoc).
The demand on you is this: Once you see the world as it is, for what it is, you must act. The proper perception–objective, rational, ambitious, clean–isolates the obstacle and exposes it for what it is.
A clearer head makes for steadier hands.
And then those hands must be put to work. Good use.
We all have to make assumptions in life, we have to weigh the costs and benefits. No one is asking you to look at the world through rose-colored glasses. No one is asking for noble failure or martyrdom.
But boldness is acting anyway, even though you understand the negative and the reality of your obstacle. Decide to tackle what stands in your way–not because you’re a gambler defying the odds but because you’ve calculated them and boldly embraced the risk.
After all, now that you’ve managed perceptions properly, what’s next is to act.
* Source: The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday