Chapter 27
Pieces of Eight

This chapter reveals a dangerous pattern: success makes us reckless. Jim's triumph over Israel Hands fills him with such pride that he stops thinking strategically. He's so focused on his victory that he walks straight into Silver's trap. This is the Victory Blindness pattern—when accomplishing something difficult makes us overestimate our abilities and underestimate remaining dangers. The mechanism works like this: Success floods our brain with confidence chemicals. We start believing our own heroic narrative. The adrenaline of winning makes us feel invincible, so we take shortcuts with safety and planning. Jim goes from carefully fighting for his life to casually strolling into enemy territory because he's high on his own success. His wound and exhaustion should have made him more cautious, but victory makes him feel unstoppable. This pattern destroys people daily. The nurse who saves a difficult patient then gets sloppy with infection protocols. The worker who lands a big client then shows up late to the next meeting. The parent who successfully handles one crisis then ignores warning signs in another situation. Small business owners who have one good month then make risky investments. Even in relationships—someone who successfully resolves one fight then pushes boundaries in the next conversation, assuming they've figured out the magic formula. When you recognize Victory Blindness in yourself, pause and reset your threat assessment. Ask: 'What am I not seeing because I feel successful?' Force yourself to go through your normal safety checklist even when you feel invincible. Especially then. Create a cooling-off period between victories and next moves. Tell someone about your success, but also ask them what dangers you might be missing. The moment you feel like you've got everything figured out is exactly when you need to slow down and think harder. When you can name the pattern, predict where it leads, and navigate it successfully—that's amplified intelligence.