Page 128 - Think Like a Champion

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It’s not that I’m so smart,
it’s just that I stay with problems longer.

—Albert Einstein

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Winners See Problems
as Just Another Way

to Prove Themselves

roblems are a mind exercise. Problems can be opportunities.
PIf you put different names on different things, it’s surprising
how much that can affect your approach to them. Some people
play chess. They see it as a game. It is also an art, a science, and an
exercise in problem solving. But they enjoy it and are passionate
about it. Bobby Fischer, the famed chess champion, answered when
asked about his technique: “I don’t believe in psychology. I believe
in good moves.”He also mentioned that he gave 98 percent of his
mental energy to chess, whereas others gave only 2 percent. That
explains his success. It couldn’t be said—or done—more simply.
Maybe we’re not all chess champions, but we can still learn a
lot about problem solving. There’s the old saying that if you don’t
have problems, then you don’t have a job. They come with the ter-
ritory of any endeavor. So it’s good to know how to deal with the
inevitable. If the sun rises and the sun sets, there will be problems

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