Having your thoughts run in a loop about why your situation is horrible won’t make it better. If you lock yourself out of your hotel room in your underwear, standing around in the hallway worrying about it isn’t going to make going to the front desk any less embarrassing. You need a room key; go figure out a way to get one!
I agree connotatively, but disagree denotatively. The version for LessWrongians might go a little more like this:
When you feel overconstrained, question your constraints, make peace with the consequences of breaking them, and attend your options, not your panic.
In particular, in situations where your panic at fearful outcomes is worse than one of those outcomes, just accept that outcome instead of accepting the panic.
-- Terry Goodkind, Wizard’s First Rule
Having your thoughts run in a loop about why your situation is horrible won’t make it better. If you lock yourself out of your hotel room in your underwear, standing around in the hallway worrying about it isn’t going to make going to the front desk any less embarrassing. You need a room key; go figure out a way to get one!
See also.
A poorly-defined problem gets poor solutions.
I personally find that a well-defined problem almost always encapsulates the solution in its own problem description.
I agree connotatively, but disagree denotatively. The version for LessWrongians might go a little more like this:
When you feel overconstrained, question your constraints, make peace with the consequences of breaking them, and attend your options, not your panic.
In particular, in situations where your panic at fearful outcomes is worse than one of those outcomes, just accept that outcome instead of accepting the panic.
Yes (as you intend it). But I also see people discussing “the solution” all the time when they haven’t understood a thing.