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Happy Thursday folks!

Here is my favorite passage of the week, two quotes and book of the week with two important lessons to ponder on:

Journalist and Author Simone Stolzoff on the neuroscience of experiencing uncertainty:

The book of the week is The Mental Strength Playbook: 50 Tools to Cope with Stress, Thrive Under Pressure, and Gain a Competitive Edge in the Workplace by Amy Morin.

This book is for anyone facing overwhelm, stress, or high-pressure moments.

Amy Morin delivers 50 practical, science-backed strategies you can use in real time to build genuine mental strength and sustainable resilience without simply white-knuckling through challenges.

For example, do you struggle with anxiety before making an important call? This book will show you how to turn your anxious feelings into an asset that helps you perform better. Do you overthink obstacles? You’ll learn how to solve even the toughest problems in less time. Do you lack the confidence you need to take risks? This book will help you run the plays that give you a boost in self-assurance right when you need it the most.

Whether you’re struggling with a tight deadline, delivering a high-pressure presentation, or newly leading a team, this book will give you the skills you need to cope with discomfort, prevent burnout, and excel at work.

Here are two important lessons from the book:

Approach a dreaded task with curiosity to turn it into an opportunity for growth. We’ve all experienced serious dread before beginning a task that feels aggravating or a situation we’d rather avoid. A curiosity quest, however, can reduce dread and make the task more enjoyable. Research shows that curiosity rewires your brain to explore and thrive.

Curious exploration releases dopamine, which can help you become more enthusiastic about a task even one you might dread. One of the reasons curiosity quests are so powerful is because they reshape the way you view challenges. Rather than looking at an obstacle as a permanent roadblock, curiosity allows you to see it as a challenge that you can overcome. This mindset can help you uncover new insights about yourself while also making you more resilient.

When you notice dread creeping in, remind yourself it’s an opportunity to run a curiosity quest play. Start small. You don’t need to overhaul your approach overnight. Begin with a single, small question in dreaded moment and expand from there. You can ask yourself, what’s one surprising thing I could learn about myself while I'm doing this task? Learn from surprises and new information. Curiosity often uncovers unexpected insights. Stay open to what you can learn, even in situations you don’t anticipate to be valuable.

In the eighteenth century, Benjamin Franklin tried to win over someone who disliked him by asking to borrow a book. When he returned the book and offered a sincere thank-you, he noticed their relationship had transformed. They experienced mutual respect and even developed a friendship. It turns out Franklin’s experience wasn’t a fluke. Research shows that asking someone for a favor can actually make them like you more. When someone does you a favor, their brain subconsciously justifies the action with a thought like “I must like this person if I’m willing to help them.” Thinking positive thoughts about someone fosters good feelings and trust.

In a work place, you have a situation where you've been feeling some tension with another co-worker after you both competed for a new project. Neither of you was put on the assignment but you feel as though things are a little awkward as you were pitted against each other. Now you have to collaborate and your colleague seems a bit cold toward you.

Instead of allowing the tension to continue, you ask your co-worker if they'd read a new pitch you've been working on and give you feedback. She agrees and when she weighs in, you offer heartfelt gratitude. Before you know it, things between the two of you are better and collaboration feels easy again. Using the Ben Franklin effect established trust and melted the tension.

How to Not Know by Simone Stolzoff. A guide to dealing with uncertainty at a time when our lives have never felt less certain.

Driven by Susie Wolff. An inside look at the competitive world of Formula One and trailblazer Susie Wolff's 20-year career.