Section Two
Prime
Priming is about getting ready for what’s next. You prime a water pump so it provides a steady flow of water, an engine so it can run, and the walls of a room so that the paint adheres. Psychology research has even demonstrated that we can be primed using tools such as power poses, breathing exercises, imagining an ideal performance, or repeating positive phrases to prepare ourselves for challenging situations, like a negotiation or a presentation.
In this section we describe tools that help you prepare for uncertainty. Whereas the Reframe tools lie along the “thinking,” or cognitive, axis of the first-aid cross for uncertainty, the Prime tools are situated on the “doing” axis, inviting you to start taking steps toward any uncertainties you face. These include both the uncertainties you choose, such as starting a new project or venture, and those you don’t, such as an unexpected loss or downturn. As we explained before, there is always some overlap in the tools—they feed into and inform each other. Thus you may find that as you start taking action, the way you think about uncertainty may change, enriching your ability to reframe and sustain what is happening to you as you face uncertainty.
The table provides a brief summary of the Prime tools, followed by short chapters with exercises for each.
| Tool | Description |
| Know Your Risks | Most people are attracted to some types of risks and are averse to others. Knowing your risk profile helps you fortify where you feel weak and make the most of your affinities. |
| Personal Real Options | Research on hybrid entrepreneurs reveals that risking it all is often counterproductive. Having a portfolio of both certain and uncertain projects helps reduce anxiety while increasing your chances of success. |
| Uncertainty Balancers | Even innovators who claim to love risk balance the uncertainty they face by incorporating more-certain things into their lives. |
| Dumbo Feathers | People, places, and things can be your biggest helps or greatest hindrances. How do you find the “Dumbo feathers” that will help you fly to your dreams and avoid the quest destroyers that will pull you down? |
| Runways and Landing Strips | Runways and landing strips are the money and time to get your ideas off the ground and the networks that give you new opportunities. |
| Reimagining Resources | Too often we let constraints limit our imagination, but there are ways to reimagine resources to transform overlooked abundance and use constraints as fuel for creativity. |
| Fait Sur Mesure | Sometimes we fall into the trap of following someone else’s plan for our life. We forget that we can, at any time, customize our lives in bright and beautiful ways. Your life should be, as the French say, fait sur mesure—made to your measure. |
| Don’t Force Machinery | The anxiety created by uncertainty can trap us into prematurely settling for suboptimal certainty. Sometimes the best preparation is to be patient. We must learn to entertain the unknown long enough to let a better future emerge. |
