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Most of us think in straight lines. One step, then another. One plus one equals two. But here’s the problem… Life doesn’t always work that way. Why we underestimate exponential growth Our brains aren’t wired to spot exponential patterns. We see slow, steady beginnings and shrug them off. Then it takes off - and suddenly we’re shocked at how fast things changed. Think about viral videos. One person shares a clip with ten friends. Each of those ten shares it with ten more - now it’s a hundred. Pretty soon, millions are watching. ...

Ever heard of the multi-armed bandit problem? It’s a classic dilemma that perfectly captures the tension between two powerful strategies: explore vs. exploit. So what’s the big deal? Why does this matter? Let’s break it down. What does “explore” mean? Exploring means diving into the unknown. It’s about trying new things, gathering data and learning what works and what doesn’t. Think of it as your research phase - the time when you’re curious and open to possibilities. ...

Changing your perspective is one of the hardest cognitive reappraisal techniques. Here are some examples of changing your perspective: See the event from your manager’s perspective. See the event from your children’s eyes. See the event from your parent’s perspective. See the event as someone from another country. See the event as your younger self or your older self. Try to really put yourself in their shoes to understand and feel what they are feeling. ...

Reprioritizing an event means stepping back from something that has triggered your intense emotions. Evaluate its priority. It’s frequently lower priority than you probably thought at first. You can systematically evaluate the priority of an event by looking at its value and effort. How much value does this event or fixing this event have in your life? Is it top, high, medium or low value? How much effort does this event take up in your life to resolved? Is it high, medium or low effort? ...

I’ve found that humor has the highest return on investment of any cognitive reappraisal technique. There are so many forms of humor that this reappraisal strategy is essentially unlimited in its potential. For me, finding humor in the situation is very effective, but your experience may vary. For example, a school kid was giving people the middle finger a few mornings. This made me quite angry, and I felt the need to do something back. ...

Normalizing an event is one of the most powerful cognitive reappraisal techniques. By telling yourself that it’s normal to feel this way, you’re uncertainty is immediately reduced giving you a better sense of control. But there’s another more powerful benefit… Since it’s “normal,” it’s very likely there’s a bunch of other people who have gone through a very similar thing. Whether you’re feeling disoriented and overwhelmed on a new project, burned out as a new parent or lonely as a an entrepreneur, you can probably reuse or repurpose strategies used by others who have already addressed similar events. ...

Once you’ve decided which cognitive reappraisal technique to use, it’s time to act! Using the easy-to-remember mnemonic (“Never Hit or Punch a Pig”), let’s go through each key cognitive reappraisal strategy. Normalize the event. Find Humor in the event. Reprioritize the event. Change your Perspective of the event. See also Cognitive reappraisal techniques

Changing your perspective is a cognitive reappraisal technique. This is the hardest type of reappraisal and allows you to interpret the difficult situation from another’s perspective. Once you can see the situation from another’s perspective, it clarifies your experience and helps to regulate your emotions. Change your perspective of the event. See also Decide which cognitive reappraisal technique to use

Prioritizing is a cognitive reappraisal technique. By lowering the priority of an event, you can change how you interpret the event. This isn’t about artificially claiming that an event is unimportant. If the event is important to you, then it has a high priority relative to other events. However, reasoning through its priority relative to other events is a great way to put the event into the context of your life. ...

Humor is a cognitive reappraisal technique. It allows you to interpret difficult situations with a laugh. Because you’re reintepreting the circumstances as funny, you can more easily step away and reinterpret the situation. Having a chuckle about the situation creates the space for you to regulate your emotions. Find humor in the event. See also Decide which cognitive reappraisal technique to use