Many are familiar with the Stockdale Paradox from Good to Great, which combines unwavering faith that you will prevail (fire) with the discipline to confront the brutal facts of present reality (ice). Admiral Jim Stockdale was imprisoned for eight years, without any rights or promise of when or if he may ever leave. He is famous for saying those that didn’t make it out were “the optimists” because they weren’t able to confront the brutal truth of their reality. Viktor Frankl had a similar analogue in Man’s Search for Meaning, where he said “The prisoner who had lost faith in the future–his future–was doomed.” Our day to day experiences are far less severe than anything Admiral Stockdale or Viktor Frankl experienced, but we should heed the lessons well.