How I Work Why visualising success might be sabotaging you, with Nir Eyal (Part 2)
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Mar 18, 2026 
Nir Eyal, behavioural scientist and author of Beyond Belief, explores how the stories we tell shape perception and action. He explains why visualising the finish line can drain motivation. Learn about failure goals, how people manufacture luck, how leaders design workplace simulations, and why athletes rehearse obstacles and coping, not trophies.
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Lucky People Find Hidden Opportunities Fast
- Nir Eyal describes a study where self-identified lucky people found a reward ad in a newspaper in 11 seconds while unlucky people took 2.5 minutes.
- The anecdote illustrates that beliefs shape what we notice and that 'lucky' people manufacture luck by seeing opportunities others miss.
Set Failure Goals To Increase Your Odds
- Do set failure goals by committing to a set number of failures (for example, five tries) knowing each failure brings you closer if you learn from it.
- Nir Eyal frames failure as progress and says celebrate failures that produce learning rather than punish them.
Culture Is A Simulation Leaders Design
- Company culture is a designed simulation: a codified set of beliefs that shape what people see, feel, and do at work.
- Nir Eyal argues leaders design that simulation daily by what they reward, punish, and model, which then flows downhill.
