INSTANT MBA: Never Hope That Things Will Work Out

"One thing that we preach at work all day long is 'don’t hope.' What that means is don’t wait for somebody to do something for you. Don’t do something 90% well and hope that it’ll slide through. Don’t rely on luck."

Lerer says you have to make your own luck. You can't leave anything up to chance because if you depend on the 10% to "just work," it never will. Lerer's advice is to simply always do your absolute best.

"The only time when you can have real regret is when you didn’t do everything you could do. I want to never hope, even though I hope just like everybody else. It’s just important to know that you’re giving as close as you can to 100 percent, dedicated effort, and you’re being thoughtful about it."

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