King Jehoshaphat sent singers out in front of his army. Praise first is a strange strategy. It’s also a faith one.

Putting the singers in front of the soldiers is a decision about order, not about volume. It means acting out of confidence before the evidence arrives rather than waiting to be reassured first. That looks naive from the outside and feels strange from the inside, and it also changes how you walk into the thing. Whether or not you share that belief, going in settled beats going in braced.

Before the next hard thing, do one part that assumes it will be all right. Lay out your kit, write the thank-you, learn the second half of the piece.