This weekend gave us two more great examples of how default thinking can sabotage the success of Type A performers.

After weeks of Type A slicing and dicing, Melissa d’Arabian, stay-at-home mom, kept her focus and chopped nine culinary-schooled competitors to become The Next Food Network Star.  The runner-up, Jeffrey Saad, had this to say about Melissa.  “I thought she would be gone the first episode.”   The lesson here:  Default thinking can cook your goose.

Now to Rome where Michael Phelps beat Milorad Cavic in the 100m butterfly… again.  Cavic took his eye off the race to indulge in a little Type A trash talking about Phelps inferior Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit.  Phelps stepped over Cavic’s snide remarks and crossed the finish line in world record time.  Cavic’s post-race comment about Phelps?  “He’s the man.”  Guess there isn’t much to say when your mouth is full of crow.