{"id":3837,"date":"2021-01-03T15:37:03","date_gmt":"2021-01-03T14:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/towncryyers.com\/?p=3837"},"modified":"2021-01-03T15:37:08","modified_gmt":"2021-01-03T14:37:08","slug":"how-to-do-the-impossible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/towncryyers.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/03\/how-to-do-the-impossible\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Do The Impossible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><em>Lessons learned from rocket scientists can solve seemingly insurmountable challenges.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>By Devon Frye<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The astrophysicists and engineers known colloquially as \u201crocket scientists\u201d have accomplished much that was once unimaginable, from flying men to the moon to exploring Mars. How do they tackle problems straight out of science fiction? In his book\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/think-like-a-rocket-scientist-ozan-varol\/1132821538\"><em>Think Like a Rocket Scientist<\/em><\/a>\u00a0, former rocket scientist Ozan Varol highlights some of their innovative problem-solving approaches\u2014and you don\u2019t have to work at NASA to use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Back From the Future<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rocket scientists dream big, but starry-eyed ideas alone aren\u2019t enough. To make moonshots materialize, they use&nbsp;<em>backcasting<\/em>&nbsp;, a strategy that envisions an ideal outcome and works backward, plotting each step needed to make it happen. \u201cYou dream big\u2014but then you sketch out a roadmap to achieving that dream,\u201d Varol says. Merely fantasizing that you have your dream job, for instance, won\u2019t get you hired; backcasting means identifying the training, experience, and networking that propelled you there, so you can assemble the pieces in real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Could Go Wrong?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Astronauts put their lives on the line to go to space. To minimize risk, the engineers utilize&nbsp;<em>premortems<\/em>&nbsp;; they imagine a mission has failed and ask what went wrong. Anyone considering a risky venture\u2014starting a business, for example\u2014can use premortems to identify obstacles that might arise. In established organizations, premortems provide opportunities for dissent, Varol adds. \u201cPeople are often reluctant to be the skunk at the picnic. Premortems create psychologically safe environments to point out potential weaknesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Assume Nothing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When embarking on a new project, rocket scientists attempt to identify every assumption they have and systematically question whether each can be trusted\u2014this is called\u00a0<em>first-principles thinking<\/em>\u00a0. If you\u2019ve been working to solve a problem but haven\u2019t succeeded, identify your routine actions and thoughts and ask yourself why you\u2019re doing them. Says Varol: \u201cThe habits that clutter our thinking are often lurking in plain sight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Originally published at Psychology Today<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lessons learned from rocket scientists can solve seemingly insurmountable challenges. By Devon Frye The astrophysicists and engineers known colloquially as \u201crocket scientists\u201d have accomplished much that was once unimaginable, from flying men to the moon&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9,10],"tags":[1072],"class_list":["post-3837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-health","tag-doing-the-impossible"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How To Do The Impossible - Towncryyers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/towncryyers.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/03\/how-to-do-the-impossible\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How To Do The Impossible - Towncryyers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lessons learned from rocket scientists can solve seemingly insurmountable challenges. 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