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Prior to our societal institutions becoming fragile, and before globalization and technology had caused widespread disruption, our innate ability to grow stronger from adversity was largely intact and IQ was the go-to determinant of who would thrive.
With widespread adoption of the computer and internet, there was a leveling effect of raw intelligence relative to emotional intelligence. The ability to work quickly and collaboratively with others in leveraging the power of shared knowledge to obtain greater outcomes became critical such that by the mid-nineties, we realized EQ was often better than IQ at determining who would thrive.
As the decline of our institutions accelerated, technology and globalization marched on.
The iPhone, social media, and apps like Slack, which brought work to our nightstands, accelerated the pace of change. By the mid-teens, words like “grit” and “resilience” were being used to indicate who would thrive. They were also evidence of the fact that we had lost touch with our innate ability to grow stronger from adversity and felt collectively overwhelmed.
While the grit and resilience movements brought hope in our fight to keep up with change, their focus on “bouncing back” didn’t reactive our innate ability to grow stronger from adversity as evidenced by the staggering rise in depression and mental health issues. As new technologies like AI come on the scene, and the pace of change accelerates even faster, our ability to bounce back will diminish further and our mental health crisis is poised to worsen.
“The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.”
Rather than merely “bouncing back” and managing the inevitable decline that comes with it, growing your Antifragile Quotient or “AQ” helps you see and interact with the world through a new lens, reactivating your innate ability to grow increasingly stronger from change and adversity. Congruent with science, AQ is based on the overlapping human truths of the world’s major religions that founded much of civilization and guided billions of people for thousands of years. AQ holds the power to help you regain control over and responsibility for what feels out of control as you radically live out the 7 Elements of Antifragility:
The Actualized Element of Responsibility provides the ability to make the road to Antifragile a reality. Mastery of it provides the freedom to be Antifragile.
AQ Element of Responsibility
Possessing the capacity to respond to the situation at hand.
The Practice Elements of Courage, Forgiveness, & Gratitude are the energy sources needed to be Antifragile. Together they provide the nerve, orientation, and composure to be Antifragile.
The AQ Element of Courage
Realigning your relationship with fear in order to move toward an unknown, despite uncertainty.
The AQ Element of Forgiveness
Processing and letting go of all the painful situations we experience.
The AQ Element of Gratitude
Living out a deep appreciation for not only the aspects of life we enjoy but also the suffering that shapes and strengthens us.
The Foundational Elements of Clarity, Connection, and Purpose are the launching platform needed in being Antifragile. Together they provide the grounding, support, and direction to be Antifragile.
The AQ Element of Clarity
Removing the mental clutter and emotional baggage that block our best perspective and inhibit us from the benefit of others’ perspectives so that we might observe the present without distortion.
The AQ Element of Purpose
Finding a fixed point of orientation to guide our lives and aligning all our actions to that highest aim.
AQ Element of Connection
Recognizing our inherent wiring to exist in community, our need to be in nature, and our need to have alignment within ourselves, and with those around us.
