A one-minute exercise to de-risk your life | Luca Dellanna

A one-minute exercise to de-risk your life

A quick thought experiment to spot your biggest vulnerabilities and identify simple steps you can take today to reduce them.

Published: 2023-11-13 | Last updated: 2026-01-09 by Luca Dellanna

#risk #Winning Long-Term Games

Imagine you wake up in a hospital. What could have been the most likely reason? Is there anything you can do today to prevent that?
Imagine your partner breaks up with you. What could have been the most likely reason? Is there anything you can do today to prevent that?
Imagine you lose your job. What could have been the most likely reason? Is there anything you can do today to prevent that?
Imagine you get sued. What could have been the most likely reason? Is there anything you can do today to prevent that?
Imagine you go on a business trip and receive a missed call in the middle of the night from your family. What could have been the most likely reason? Is there anything you can do today to prevent that?

For more on building strategies that lead to long-term success, see my post on reproducible success strategies.

Winning Long-Term Games

Reproducible success strategies to achieve your long-term goals

Winning Long-Term Games cover

Some reviews

"Luca's approach to risk management is novel and applicable to one's personal life beyond work. He is changing companies and lives with his ground-breaking approach. With him risk management is a tool to grow faster, not some non-value-adding bureaucracy."

Iñigo Alonso

Program Manager, Medtronic

"Gem upon gem of insight [...] a must-read [...] for all those who plan on being successful and who take the goal of achieving that success with the deadly, focused, and unwavering seriousness it deserves."

Guy Spier

Founder, Aquamarine Fund

"I like everything Luca has written, and this book exceeded my already high expectations. Can't wait to read it again tonight. It's that good."

Scott Mitchell

CEO, OCEG

"I learned very much from it! Luca's books have my highest highlight density."

Lance Johnson

CEO, Whiteboard Geeks

"One of the best strategy guides I've read for being a solopreneur or generally self-employed person […] Thought-provoking."

Paul Millerd

Author

"A sharp, no-nonsense guide that slices through the fluff most success books are padded with. This book doesn't sell dreams. It hands you systems that are reproducible, reliable, and refreshingly sane Highly recommended for entrepreneurs riding the chaos or professionals plotting their next pivot, or even investors trying not to outsmart themselves! It offers mental models one can actually use, especially if they are tired of sprinting in circles and finally ready to play a smarter, longer game."

Haaren Sanghvi

CEO, HSAG

"Very clear and compelling writing, which helped me develop and extend my mindset when it comes to stitching together the short-term games knowing that it's this practice that will lead to winning long-term games even if it doesn't feel like winning for a while."

Matthew Stafford

Founder, 9others

"Luca provides very concrete examples with the concepts and frameworks he brings forward. Just like he helped me understand how antifragility can be cultivated in individuals and organisations, playing the long game gets real for me as I make plans and decisions."

Maryse Lepage

Executive coach, ex-Shopify

"This densely packed gem of a book is one of the best I've ever read. [...] This book spells out important points more succinctly and successfully than anything else I’ve read. I really can’t recommend it enough. It is the rare type of book I expect to read and reread over and over again throughout the rest of my life."

Mike & Jennifer Rivers

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