Ep143: Mastering the “Chess Mindset” to Achieve Any Difficult Goal (and Get Really Good at Failing Along the Way) | with Misha Tenenbaum

<blockquote> <p>“Chess teaches you that losing is learning.”<br /> - Misha Tenenbaum</p> </blockquote> <p>To master anything, whether it's actually playing chess, training for (and becoming) an <em>American Ninja Warrior</em>, or climbing to the top of your chosen career, you have to know that failure is a HUGE part of the equation. And in fact failure should be embraced as part of the fun of achieving any difficult goal in life. Chess is not just a game, it’s also a mindset I believe you must adopt if you want to achieve anything difficult, because nothing worthwhile is easy. And doing hard things requires the right strategy (which is why one of the “Key Mindsets” I share with all the students in my <strong><a href= "https://optimizeyourself.me/optimizer" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">coaching & mentorship program</a></strong> is to “Play Chess With Your Goals Instead of Checkers.”)</p> <p>Today I’m sharing with you a very fun, in-depth, and candid conversation with my friend and fellow entrepreneur <a href= "https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2818469/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener"><strong>Misha Tenenbaum</strong></a>. Before founding <strong><a href="https://editstock.com/" target= "_blank" rel= "noopener">EditStock</a></strong> and <strong><a href= "https://editmentor.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">EditMentor</a></strong>, Misha was a film and television editor and AE who edited shows for the Speed Channel, Food Network, as well as indie films. He also worked as an assistant editor on shows like <em>American Horror Story</em>, <em>JOBS</em> (the biopic about Steve Jobs starring Ashton Kutcher), the Fox show<em> Wayward Pine</em>s, and<em> Quarry</em> for Cinemax.</p> <p>But instead of talking about Hollywood in this conversation, instead Misha and I dive deep into the meta skills necessary to achieve near-impossible (read: Ridiculous) goals. Misha grew up learning chess and spent several years in early adulthood climbing the ranks in the chess world. We discuss how the skills he's learned from spending ye