Annie Duke

“Imagine it’s a year from now and you stayed in the job that you’re currently at—what’s the probability you’re going to be unhappy at the end of that year?”

She said, “I know I’m going to be unhappy, one hundred percent.”

I followed up by asking, “If it’s a year from now and you switched to this new job you’re considering, what’s the probability you’re going to be unhappy?” She said, “Well, I’m not sure.”

“Is it one hundred percent?”

She said, “Definitely not.”

At that moment, she realized, “Oh, wait a minute. I’m always going to be unhappy if I stay. If I switch, sometimes I’ll be unhappy, but sometimes I won’t. Sometimes, I’m going to find real fulfillment in the job that I’m switching to, and that has to be better.”