According to Adams, people can “rewire” their brains by using these three elements: Focus, repetition, and emotion. While emotion is not strictly necessary, it speeds up the brain’s process of accepting and acting on new information. For instance, begin with a conceptual reframe and then allow it to become imbued with emotion by thinking about what it will help you achieve. Adams understands that people learn best through simple and memorable examples, and has included 160 reframes in the book to educate and inspire his readers.

By discussing the three elements which foster effective reframes, the author introduces some basic neuroscience into his work in an accessible way. He explains, “Your brain builds new structures in response to whatever stimuli you’re pumping into it. Focus and repetition move an idea (or reframe) from conceptual to physical, meaning physical changes in your brain structure” (11). His lack of scientific detail on this topic somewhat compromises his explanation but allows him to move quickly to his accessible examples, which he promises will be life-changing.

Chapter Lessons

• Focus and repetition are essential to creating lasting changes in your thoughts and behavior
• Imbuing reframes with emotion makes them more memorable and therefore effective

Reflection Questions

• Consider your personal goals. What kinds of emotions do you feel while thinking about them?
• Think about how embracing these emotions might make your reframing more impactful. How could these emotions help you achieve your goals?

Adams reveals that, ironically, he has failed in many areas of life where he is actually quite qualified. For instance, he trained formally to become a banker or entrepreneur by completing his Master’s Degree in Business, yet actually found more success as a cartoonist, writer, and speaker. Most of his projects have not been successful, but 10% have done very well and account for all his success. He uses this example to contrast two very different perceptions about his life. He could either feel that he fails 90% of the time and that therefore his “odds of success are low,” or he can reframe this in a more hopeful way by thinking that, “I only need to succeed 10 percent of the time” (14). He urges the reader to adopt the more positive reframe.

Next, Adams coaches the reader to reframe merely “wanting” things into deciding to do things. He recalls many failed projects that he had wanted to succeed, but he did not actually experience success until his hit comic, Dilbert. By deciding that he would make the comic a success no matter what, Adams was totally committed to his project and did not give up in spite of the odds and the intense workload. He credits this change in his mindset with helping him take Dilbert from obscurity to an internationally beloved comic. While Adams’s emphasis on hard work, positivity, and determination can be inspiring for some readers and can help individuals embrace their agency, he does not acknowledge external factors that can determine success or failure that the individual has limited control over. Since Adams is more focused on what an individual can theoretically achieve with good habits, however, systemic issues do not factor into his advice or approach.  

Another key reframe is to manage your energy, rather than your time. While many people schedule tasks around availability, Adams argues that certain tasks require different kinds of energy. He always writes before 9 AM while drinking coffee, but only draws in the afternoon when he is more relaxed. He urges the reader to consider how different choices make them feel, urging them to always gravitate towards whatever people, jobs, and options make them feel energized. Adams offers an interesting reframe for careers, insisting that people should always perceive the goal of their current job as to get another, better job. Focusing on moving up in position will help people master new skills while also taking care of themselves rather than being too self-sacrificing for their company or boss.

Reframes can also be applied to everyday life. Adams never allows himself to feel “bored with life” but reframes this boredom as a symptom of not “embarrassing himself enough.” This funny reframe encourages him to get out of his comfort zone and try something new and difficult, giving him a thrill or a funny story in the process. Adams considers another common human experience: Cognitive dissonance. This phenomenon occurs when people are too biased to admit that they have been wrong about something, finding it easier to “hallucinate” their own deluded perception. While many people are scared of the embarrassment that comes with being wrong, Adams reframes this into a new approach by observing that being scared of embarrassment forces people to be wrong by encouraging their cognitive dissonance.

Adams laments that many people are intimidated by their own goals. Instead of considering how daunting they are, he recommends reframing this experience by thinking about one small, achievable step they can take in the right direction. Similarly, Adams downplays the role of goal-setting in success, instead emphasizing how systems, or daily habits, create success while also fostering better mental health. For instance, by setting a goal to lose 20 pounds, people will not feel good until they see a certain number on the scale. By developing a system of exercising every day, people can feel great about their daily accomplishment, regardless of any expected outcome. Everyday life can also be made easier by reframing problems, changing them from burdens to puzzles that need solving.

The author offers another valuable reframe about career choices, arguing that people should not focus on becoming excellent at one skill, but instead practice “Talent Stacking” by developing several complementary skills that make them a rare commodity. While being passionate about one’s career is helpful, Adams argues it isn’t a requirement for success; in fact, people are often only passionate about something after they have experienced some success doing it. This reframe challenges the romantic notion that everyone must pursue the thing they are most passionate about and encourages people to be more practical.

Adams offers more career and money-related reframes. Rather than simply doing your job, he recommends overperforming at work, while networking and doing favors for those with more resources, hoping that someday they will reciprocate. Taking initiative, being more dependable, and learning continuously are all valuable reframes for everyday work-related challenges. Adams’s perspective here is shaped by his status as a white, educated, middle-class man largely familiar with office work and content creation, and so his advice to “overperform” may not be advisable or practicable for those in more physically-demanding roles or for marginalized individuals who might be more at risk for exploitation and uncredited contributions if they overperform or do favors without clear boundaries or set remuneration.  

Adams feels that many people over-plan and over-think their goals, and encourages the reader to reframe this habit. Instead, he tells the reader to embrace initiative and momentum, writing, “Just start. See if you can figure it out as you go” (42). By tapping into their own competitive instincts, people can reframe school and work as competitions to motivate themselves to perform at their best (without anyone else needing to know).

Adams considers the unpredictability of life and how people react to “losing streaks” (45). Rather than considering these periods as the universe acting against you, Adams recommends believing that the universe “owes” you some good luck (46). By thinking of luck as something that anyone can attract with positivity and effort, people will feel less helpless and will increase their chances of becoming “lucky” in some way.

Such reframing also helps in creative matters. Creative people can stop avoiding mistakes in their projects, and instead work more broadly and freely, open to the idea that mistakes might actually play a role in their art. (Adams points to the example of his character Dilbert not having a mouth).

Adams states that dopamine, a feel-good hormone, plays an essential part in human physical activity, mood, and motivation. By focusing on accomplishing small goals and feeling good about them, people can generate more dopamine and therefore energy to stay productive. He credits this approach with helping him juggle his early career as a cartoonist with his simultaneous 9-5 corporate job. 

Another way to stay motivated and creative is to find the right working environment. Adams reframed complaints about writer’s block into a more positive assessment, deciding that he had great ideas but simply couldn’t work at home. This reframe forced him to find a new, better environment, and he discovered he works well from restaurants and cafes instead. Similarly, writers must reframe issues with creativity and ideas into manageable problems about finding the right time or energy to write. He explains, “And that’s how you beat writer’s block—you reframe it out of existence” (64). Adams concludes his chapter by frowning upon the “bureaucratic weaselness” of euphemizing products or services, and explains that this is not the sort of “reframing” he has in mind. His reframes are ethical because we agree with them ourselves rather than use them to manipulate others.

The author’s numerous reframes for success in this chapter invite the reader to consider the many ways they can be applied to their own aspirations. By addressing different walks of life and work situations, Adams tries to make his recommendations relatable to a variety of people. By addressing how reframing can help during common experiences like failure and embarrassment, the author portrays his system as a constructive tool for overcoming negative experiences and building towards something better. While the author still encourages the reader to develop their own personal reframes, he also imparts bold advice of his own. For instance, he insists that everyone’s goal at work should be to “get a better job,” arguing that this reframe will help people achieve success in their career (18). He writes, “Your employer might want to frame employees as ‘a family,’ which is common, but that’s to divert you from the fact that they can fire you at will. They don’t want you to know you have the same power to fire them…You are number one” (19). This assertive argument adds an punch to Adams’s workplace-oriented reframes, but once again sidesteps acknowledging the wider socioeconomic factors that give some individuals less freedom and bargaining power in the labor market than others. 

The author’s numerous personal anecdotes add another persuasive element to his discussions. By sharing how his reframes have steered him towards success, Adams presents his personal experiences as a reason to believe in this mental strategy. For example, he recalls how reframing his commitment to his Dilbert comic as a decision kept him motivated to ensure its success. He reframed the usual thought “I want to do (something)” into “I have decided to do (something)” (15). He explains, “On paper, my workload from those years looks impossible. If I had merely wanted to succeed, I don’t think I could have lasted. But I didn’t merely want to succeed, I decided to succeed” (15). By crediting his reframe with helping him achieve an unlikely and hard-won success, Adams backs up his claims about the efficacy of this strategy.

Chapter Lessons

• Reframe negative experiences like boredom, failure, and embarrassment into something constructive
• Consider how reframing can help you harness the right energy or approach for your work
• Use reframing to identify new systems or goals and completely commit to them

Reflection Questions

• Think about a negative experience you have had lately, such as a failure or embarrassment. How could you reframe this more positively? Consider what you learned or what you feel a new motivation to do.
• Adams believes strongly that wanting and deciding are very different mindsets. How could you reframe one of your desires into a concrete decision?