Finally, the quote becomes practical through routines. Begin with hopeful clarity: define success and set leading indicators so progress is visible. Next, constrain downside: run a pre-mortem before major decisions, add time and budget buffers, write explicit stop-loss rules, and keep checklists (Atul Gawande, 2009) for repeatable tasks. Then, rehearse surprise: schedule plan B drills, keep small reversible experiments in flight, and conduct weekly after-action reviews to update assumptions. A modest emergency fund, diversified income streams, and a personal network further increase adaptability. By cycling through hope, planning, and surprise-readiness, you increase your odds of good outcomes while staying ready to turn the unexpected into opportunity. [...]
