This book shows how scientists see the world and the strategies and tactics they use to achieve amazing results. Ozan Varol defines this perspective and applies it to the problems and challenges you should tackle in your life and business.
After reading it, I’ve been able to draw three main lessons:
Lesson 1 – Stop following what others are doing if you want to excel at creating new things and finding unique solutions to problems.
When you follow the same routine every day, you don’t ask yourself whether your actions and processes are really leading you to the results you want. That’s why you’re not achieving your most important goals.
Shake up your routine by following the rocket scientists, who use first principles thinking. Try this method of questioning every part of the problem or goal you’re working on. Then identify and let go of every assumption you’re making about what you need to do to achieve it. This allows you to break free from the rules and really get into an innovative mindset.
Lesson 2 – Experiments are vital if you want to ensure a high chance of success.
NASA’s mental training puts astronauts through all sorts of simulations designed to trick trainees into making mistakes.
Test your ideas, products and presentations as thoroughly as they do. Try practising in an environment in which you will actually perform. Test out your job interview skills with an intimidating friend.
Keep trying everything you can think of to train yourself and push yourself to the max. Eventually, you’ll be so good that nothing can go wrong when the time comes to act. It sounds somewhat masochistic, but it’ll pay off in the end.
Lesson 3. You might not like it, but studying and learning from your mistakes is essential.
You’re working hard to attain your goals, bagging achievements along the way. But inevitably, at some point, you stumble and fall. It’s one thing to follow the crowd and get up and try again, but it’s another to learn from failure and adapt.
In cases like this, follow the example of James Dyson. He failed 5126 times over a decade and a half before perfecting his innovative bagless vacuum cleaner. Like Dyson, analysing your mistakes can lead you to success if you keep at it.
These may seem like basic, simple lessons, and in part they are, but the way they’re explained makes it easier to put them into practice.
If you’ve already read it, why not share your opinion and learnings in the comments section? Debate leads to new ideas!
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