While it is always better to be prepared, my money would be on the protagonist that had a better sense of self control and could repress dangerous emotions, rather than the obsessive over-planner that had top-of-the-line equipment but was prone to dangerous panic attacks.

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Those who want to get better, have to be or become self-aware enough to recognize their own faults, requiring the often painful solicitation of honest feedback.

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So while we get glimpses of how human, institutional, and political behavior can be transformed for the better, these improvements are rarely self-sustaining.

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If companies are going to jump on the self-service bandwagon, says Mr Kolsky, they had better be prepared to do it right.

ECONOMIST: REPORTS

This self-confidence may be innate, just as most people think they are better-than-average drivers.

ECONOMIST: Sometimes it helps if investors are gloomy

If we choose to, we can issue our own self-challenges to push ourselves not only to do better, but to be better.

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Those with RLC have a natural tendency to focus on the self-interest of others, and how it can be satisfied to make a better trade for all.

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