For this 15th edition of The Distillation (formally the Joyful Sovereignty Weekly), my intention is to share a perspective that welcomes the uncertainties of life and allow it to be useful to you.
For years, I’ve been between a rock and a hard place.
The Rock: Being prepared for an unpredictable and uncertain future.
The Hard Place: Not living in fear.
This dynamic has brought me slight mental anguish (and for good reason).
But first, let me set the context.
Over the past ~5 years, the world has changed significantly.
Systems are failing.
Agendas are being revealed.
And most importantly, We The People are empowering ourselves more each week.
With all of this occurring around us, one can question, “how “prepped” should we be?”
There’s a level of preparedness that’s acceptable. That level varies from person to person.
Some people feel it their calling to create a homestead and live entirely sustainable within a small community.
Some people feel called to work on themselves and how they can provide value to their community.
Others feel it their calling is to willingly entering the belly of the dragon to confront the system and change it.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Each of us are individual pieces of a collective puzzle. Each person having their unique gifts and role to play.
When it comes down to it, no matter where you fall on this spectrum, there is a simple, synthesized sweet spot to transmute this rock and hard place.
It’s Anti-Fragility.
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Anti-Fragility is a concept brought to light by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, in his book Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder.
In the book, he illuminates two main themes.
In other words, no matter how volatile or unpredictable the future may be, we can be “prepared” for it by adopting this anti-fragility mindset.
It also has the effect of not letting fear override our minds.
In Taleb’s words: “Protect the downside, but prepare to benefit disproportionately from potential external negative events, and in all cases avoid fragility.”
That sounds pretty good to me.
The book is fascinating and worth a read.
Now that we have a general concept of anti-fragility, let’s discuss why it’s important today.
There is a good probability that humanity shifts for the better over the next 10 years.
With old paradigms failing and innovative solutions emerging every week, now is the time that We The People step up and empower ourselves and our families.
We don’t do this by fearing change or wishing it would be easier.
We embrace what the Present Moment has offered us (both individually and as a society) and do something meaningful with it.
Instead of fearing an uncertain future (or trying to control it), we can transmute fear into empowerment.
You can try to avoid fear.
You can try to repress it.
You can try to talk yourself out of it.
But at the end of the day, it will still be waiting for you.
Accept that it’s there.
After acceptance, you can begin the process of transmuting.
Instead of worrying about what might happen, embrace what is already happening and welcome the ways in which it will help you grow.
Empowerment is a big topic, and we won’t be able to dive deep into it today.
But empowerment is an energy within that allows you to be more of your authentic self.
You rely less on what you need from the external, and more on your own internal power.
Self-empowerment allows you to calmly and courageously respond to the environment (the one that can’t be predicted or controlled).
You feel a state of preparedness within yourself, and that’s infectious (in a great way) for those around you.
And most importantly, you aren’t living in fear.
The rock and the hard place is transmuted into a foundation for which you can propel yourself.
You can’t completely avoid fear and stress, but you can minimize it.
By transmuting fear into something useful, it creates a more holistic strategy.
Let’s take it one step further, by welcoming this pressure so that it makes us more anti-fragile.
With all this talk of systems failing and fear, the pressure can sometimes feel overwhelming.
By taking ownership, and welcoming the pressure, we’re working WITH the flow of life.
Welcoming the pressure to feed us the material to transmute fear into empowerment then becomes more of a game than something to avoid.
You may also feel pressure from your family and those you work with.
Embracing the pressure will allow it to not control you anymore.
If you are reading this, you are likely a leader within your family at some level.
You have the opportunity to adopt an anti-fragility mindset and radiate that confidence for those around you.
Like a diamond needs pressure (stressors) in order to be created, we too can welcome a healthy amount of pressure to help shape us into who we’re meant to be.
I believe that individuals and family units all play a role, and not the same roles.
If leaders in family's and community's around the country adopted anti-fragility in their lives, we’d eventually have a society that reflects that as a whole.
It’s not something that will happen because it’s a law or mandated from the top.
Anti-fragility will accumulate because individuals will do their part and create positive ripples around them.
Decentralized.
Each individual will cultivate anti-fragility that is custom to their lives and environment. We as a collective will be well-rounded in our anti-fragility.
Meaning, we all don’t have to be entirely anti-fragile in all areas of life.
We will support each other, while honoring our own gifts and freedoms.
Imagine a piece of rope. It isn’t made up of one single big thread.
It’s a bundle of threads that are stronger together. They support each other.
Anti-fragility can be a thread within yourself that both supports and is supported by other aspects of yourself.
It can complement other traits that are inherent to you.
It doesn’t even have to be the “main trait” that describes you.
Cultivating it begins with becoming aware of your current fragility.
What areas of life do you knee-jerk react to?
What events in life throw you off course for hours (or even days)?
When challenges arise, do you embrace the stress or wish it didn’t happen to you?
Becoming aware is the most important step. From there, you can take daily action to embrace this path of anti-fragility.
This weeks action steps are simple.
That’s it for this edition of The Distillation.
Wish you a great rest of your day!
Best,
Lane
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