FBC – 164 – A Super Power I Didn’t Know I Had…How You Can Get It Too

A Super Power I Didn't Know I Had…How You Can Get It Too.

Mental models are the cognitive frameworks that high performers use to anticipate outcomes, make better decisions, and navigate complex situations. In this episode of the Freedom By Choice podcast, I share how I discovered that I have been building mental models since I was a teenager, and how this “superpower” gives anyone who practices it a significant edge in business and life.

While listening to a very interesting book I discovered that I have a unique super power that a lot of top performers have… A very pleasant surprise if you ask me. What is this super power? What does it do? More importantly, how can YOU acquire that power too.

So I'm listening to an audiobook. And there was something really, really cool I found out in the book and I just wanted to tell you about it. So when you have really pleasant surprises.

So basically I realized that I have a superpower that I developed when I was maybe 13, 14 or something, and I've had it since then. And I had absolutely no idea. You know, sometimes you have some behaviours that you can't necessarily explain when you're younger.

Then you manage to explain them. But sometimes you don't actually know all the ramifications and the potential of this thing. So this book is called Mental Models. OK.

So the author was basically comparing people who were good at building mental models versus people who weren't. So what is a mental model? The mental model is when you are basically anticipating what's going to happen.

So basically, you're telling yourself stories about what's going to happen. So basically how your day is going to go or how the next meeting is going to go, how whatever you're working on is going to go and stuff.

So you can actually have a mental image of how it is supposed to go down. And you can see clearly the details, you know, the different possibilities that can arise, you know. It's something that I started doing when I was 13 or 14 because I was I was shy, like, you can't you can't even imagine.

And for that, I basically had to create a model in my head of how things were going to go down, what people were likely to say, so that I could just jump in a conversation, because otherwise it was complicated for me to do so. So since then, I've been building these models like all the time in my head, and I still do it to this day…

Now it's more about what I'm doing, my projects and stuff. I realized that I build a lot of models where I can see like different options and how I'm going to react if something raises a problem. Okay. So I'm always prepared without actually doing some like actual preparation. It's just that my brain just it. So I knew my brain was doing that all the time, but I didn't know how that helps.

And that book actually gave me the answer to this. So basically, once you have a model in your head, it's pretty much like, you know, I'll just give you like an example. You know, when you were rehearsing for a play or for like a song or something. So what happens is that, you know what's going on in the play or in the song. Then afterwards you know the lyrics, you know the lines and everything.

So basically, you already have an image of what's going to go down, which means that you don't have to worry about that stuff too much. Okay. So it's like automation. It's the same thing when you're doing repetitions. You know, when you do repetitions of something.

Then it became it second nature. And you can actually do that stuff without having to think about it. So when you build these models, what happens is that you have fewer things to think about and to worry about.

I tried to make my life as simple. As possible. And that was one of the components. After listening to the book, it makes a lot of sense because I make things so simple. I mean, and then I don't have to worry about everything that's going on around me. Right. I can focus on other things.

A Super Power I Didn't Know I Had…How You Can Get It Too

And, you know, I had this this power, but they observed that in in situations like airplanes. So they were giving an example of like airplane crashes. Right. Where a pilot who didn't have a mental model of what was going to happen while basically in a situation where all the alarms were sounding and everything was blinking and stuff, he was overwhelmed. He didn’t know what to do? And he ended up crashing the plane.

Key Insight: Mental models are the practice of visualizing outcomes before they happen. People who build strong mental models consistently outperform those who don't, because they have already “rehearsed” multiple scenarios in their mind before taking action.

Key Insight: You do not need to be born with the ability to build mental models. It is a skill you can develop at any age by deliberately practicing visualization of your goals, meetings, and daily tasks before they happen.

But they were doing a parallel with this other pilot who was constantly building mental models. It was actually even before the flight, he was discussing the models with the rest of the team, basically running simulations.

And the dude was able to correct the situation and actually land the plane because he knew already what to do and what was going to happen. And he didn't panic in that case. So it explains a lot why, in a lot of situations, I'm able to keep my cool because I always build these models.

And it really helps. So I don't know exactly how you can start doing that. So you can before an important meeting, for example, you can start thinking about what your boss is going to say. Right. And how you're going to answer these questions or what kind of questions the clients are going to ask you.

You know, because the last thing you want is to be in a in a situation where the boss is asking you for something in the meeting and you're like panicking, too. What the hell should I say? You know me. So, yeah. So you start off with things like this and it should definitely help.

About the Author

Martin Ebongue is the founder of martinebongue.com, an online business and lifestyle design blog focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs build location-independent businesses. Since 2014, he has been creating and scaling online ventures across multiple niches, from digital products and affiliate marketing to SaaS and content platforms, while traveling the world. He shares the real-world strategies, tools, and systems that work, with a particular focus on AI-powered automation for solopreneurs. Follow him on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are mental models and why do they matter?

Mental models are cognitive frameworks where you anticipate and visualize what is going to happen before it actually occurs. They matter because people who actively build mental models make better decisions, recover from setbacks faster, and consistently outperform those who react to situations without preparation.

Can anyone develop the mental models superpower?

Yes. Building mental models is a learnable skill, not an innate talent. You can start by deliberately visualizing how your day, meetings, or projects will unfold. The more you practice, the sharper your ability to anticipate outcomes becomes.

How do mental models help entrepreneurs?

Entrepreneurs who use mental models can foresee potential problems, prepare for multiple scenarios, and make faster decisions under pressure. This practice reduces surprises and helps you stay several steps ahead of the competition.

Further reading on finding your operator super power

• Martin on Substack: I write a recurring Substack series on how operators discover and protect their highest leverage skill.
• Martin's founder story: My own founder story documents the late discovery of the one skill that ended up funding the whole business.
• Harvard Business Review: Harvard Business Review research on strengths based work explains why this matters more than versatility.
• Entrepreneur magazine: Entrepreneur magazine collects founder interviews that show how core strengths shaped each business model.