There's no danger of everyone being exceptional though, given human nature, which is essentially the point. Normal emotional defensive mechanisms such as making

There's no danger of everyone being exceptional though, given human nature, which is essentially the point. Normal emotional defensive mechanisms such as making excuses and avoiding confrontation impede your long term goals. Trying and failing "hurts" more than not trying at all, so there's a self-defeating optimization process being performed by people typically. Of course your own mind isn't the only obstacle holding you back, but it can be a big one. I agree this kind of fluff is off-putting for technical-minded people, but the value of the point seems pretty clear. As for the anecdotes and success stories, I also agree they are not convincing. In business they can be very useful though, since starting a new venture requires a lot of leaps of faith and uneducated decisions, something paralyzing to most people. Having a model for how others proceeded is very valuable.