Day 212: The Stockdale paradox

“James Stockdale, a soldier, one of the highest-ranking naval officers at the time, who, during the Vietnam War, was held captive as a prisoner of war for over seven years.

During this period, Stockdale was tortured with no reason to believe he’d make it out alive let alone get home. Within the grim awareness of his reality, he found a way to stay alive by embracing both the harsh reality of his situation with a balance of healthy optimism.

Stockdale explained this concept as the following:

“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

In the simplest explanation of this paradox, it’s the idea of hoping for the best, but acknowledging and preparing for the worst.

The ability to acknowledge your situation (awareness) and balance optimism (growth mindset) with realism come from an understanding of the Stockdale Paradox. This contradictory way of thinking was the strength that led James through those trying years. Such paradoxical thinking, whether you consciously know it or not has been one of the defining philosophies for great leaders making it through hardship and reaching their goals. “