Stockdale Paradox
The art of balancing two seemingly contradictory beliefs.
One book I’ve probably read more than 10 times already is a business non-fiction called “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. It is packed with some of the most counterintuitive but actionable insights which I’ve applied both in my life and business benefitting immensely.
More importantly, it introduced to me one of the most powerful mindsets I have ever come across while facing any kind of challenge in my life.
It's called the Stockdale Paradox.
The Stockdale Paradox is derived from the experiences and philosophy of Admiral James Stockdale, a U.S. Navy officer who was held as a prisoner of war for over seven years during the Vietnam War.
While imprisoned, more than half of the prisoners with Stockdale never made it out. When asked, Stockdale observed that it was the prisoners who were overly optimistic and constantly anticipated a swift release, who were more likely to lose all hope and succumb to despair when their expectations weren’t met year after year.
In contrast, those who acknowledged and accepted the harsh reality of their situation but maintained a steadfast belief that they would eventually prevail were the ones who managed to survive.
It's about balancing two seemingly contradictory beliefs: maintaining unwavering faith that you will eventually succeed while simultaneously confronting the brutal reality of your current situation.
“Never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.“ — James Stockdale.
This balance helps build resilience, adaptability, and perseverance.
F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”
We’ll all experience disappointments and crushing events in our lives, setbacks for which there is no “reason”, and no one to blame. It might be an injury, an accident, or getting fired unexpectedly.
What separates people is not the absence of difficulty, but how they deal with these inevitable situations.
And when you start with an honest and diligent effort to understand the truth of your situation, the right decisions often become self-evident.
It's similar to what the US Navy Seals training tries to teach their cadets through an exercise they call the “Surf Torture”.
It's exactly what it sounds like.
Cadets are made to lie in shallow waters on the beach through the night. It's freezing!
They have two options: Either accept the cold OR Fight the cold.
Fighting the cold takes up a lot of energy and most of the people who try give up at some point or the other. Avoiding or ignoring the reality and gravity of your present situation is a sure-shot way to make it worse.
But accepting the cold frees up energy to then think ahead and react more effectively to the situation. Only by accepting your present conditions, no matter how brutal they are, can you even begin to overcome them.
P.S. — If you run a business or even work at one, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of the book “Good to Great”. It's an old book but still highly underrated in my opinion. It’ll change the way you think about growing your business.
