Preparades — deal with success or have it eat you up

It may seem odd to worry about a positive outcome, but that’s exactly what you need to do to avoid being snowed under.

You avoid the worst-case scenario by asking about any decision: What happens if it turns out poorly? You can also ask the obverse: What happens if it turns out well? Success brings opportunities that quickly become challenges if you aren’t prepared to cash in.

𝐈𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭. 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦? 🤞

For a solopreneur, it may be thinking beyond the product to the distribution and administrative overheads. 🚚
For a breakout pop star, it may be about having a strong support system that shields her from outside noise. 🙌
For a tech startup, it may be about building scalable processes and hiring the right talent so that founders can stay focused on the long term without fire-fighting all the time. 📈

𝐀 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. Instead, as the book 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 suggests, we could imagine the future as a range of possibilities bookended by total failure and roaring success. And not just plan to avoid failure but also ready ourselves for success.

Imagining a successful future is not overconfidence. Believing that you can precisely predict the future to a point is. Just as a premortem insures us against adversity, a preparade lets us cash in on our Oprah moment and build on breakthroughs that turn to lasting successes.