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The Game of Failure

No. 687 – June 28, 2026

Welcome to Brain Food, a weekly newsletter full of timeless ideas and insights you can use in life and work. (Read the archives). Not subscribed? Learn more and sign up.

Tiny Thoughts

Self-pity feels like medicine and works like poison.


It’s rare that I meet an exceptional person who is not deeply involved in the details.

In fact, I can’t think of one. But I’m sure they exist.


The person who approaches a problem like an opportunity has an advantage that the person who sees an obstacle will never understand.

Insights

Rory McIlroy on process over outcome:

“I can get real caught up in the outcome. I just really need to remind myself that the outcome will ultimately happen if you just focus on the process. It takes care of itself.”


William James on potential:

“Most people live in a very restricted circle of their potential being. They make use of a very small portion of their possible consciousness, and of their soul’s resources in general, much like a man who, out of his whole organism, should get into a habit of using and moving only his little finger.”


Professional skateboarder Danny Way on flow:

“Skateboarding is a game of failure. That’s what makes this sport so different. Skaters are willing to take a great deal of physical punishment. We’ll try something endlessly, weeks on end, painful failure after painful failure after painful failure. But for me, when it finally snaps together, when I’m really pushing the edge and skating beyond my abilities, there’s a zone I get into. Everything goes silent. Time slows down. My peripheral vision fades away. It’s the most peaceful state of mind I’ve ever known. I’ll take all the failures. As long as I know that feeling is coming, that’s enough to keep going.”

The Knowledge Project

Dr. Giulia Enders has changed the way millions of people (including me) think about the relationship between the gut and mental and physical health.

This conversation is full of practical advice, not medical jargon. You’ll leave understanding why your microbiome might be the source of some of your problems and the simple ways you can repair, build, and feed your gut for long-term health.

+ YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Web/Transcript | X

Thanks for reading,

— Shane Parrish

P.S. I can’t stop watching these.

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