[pestaa]

"Everything is my fault" is entrepreneurs' wishful thinking so that they can believe they can fix whatever situation they're in. However, not everything is under their control, no matter how hard they try to believe.

You don't control the weather, the people in the streets, the companies sending you checks, the currency exchange rates, etc.

[graeme]

This is correct, logically speaking. But acting as if you control outcomes gives you the maximal chance for affecting what you CAN control.

[arbuge]

Quite so, but most people can control more than they give themselves credit for. Think again before you give up on some things.

You can effectively control the weather you get by moving to another city/country. The companies sending you checks are 100% in your control - it's your career choice.

Not sure why you'd want to control the people in the streets - sounds a wee bit tyrannical :-)

[smsm42]

Actually, most of what we understand by "politics" is exactly that - people banding together to control other people - on the streets or sometimes even in the privacy of their homes (like drug laws, occupational licenses, etc.) It may sound tyrannical but it is not only natural - it is one of the most common things out there.

[jrs235]

We can't control everything, but we can control or reactions. I believe that is what Derek is trying to get across, even if he didn't quite state that outright.

I'm reading Quality Software Management Volume 1 Systems Thinking by Gerald M. Weinberg. Page 111' 7.3 It's not the event that counts, it's your reaction to the event... Whenever there is a [i]human decision point[/i] in the system, it's not the event that determines the next event, but someone's reaction to the event.