One shot to Achilles’s ankle killed him. He crumbled under adversity. He was fragile.

The Phoenix was the opposite. Kill the mythical Phoenix, and it arises from the ashes, as if it was never attacked in the first place. The Phoenix was robust.

But that’s not where it ends. There’s another level to this game.

Think about the Hydra.

A fierce competitor, the Hydra put up a valiant fight against anyone who would face it. Its attack was lethal.

But there are a lot of good fighters in the mythical world. So what makes the Hydra special?

It’s response when its head was cute off.

It didn’t die.

It didn’t even regrow a new one.

It would regrew three new heads.

After a seemingly fatal blow, the Hydra would return stronger than it was before. It not only survived, but thrived off of adversity.

Or as, Nassim Taleb puts it, it was Antifragile.

These three mythical figures are obvious just a metaphor, but the impact of this lesson is very real.

Depending on how we prepare for and respond to adversity, we (along with our companies, families, health, finances, etc.) are either fragile, robust, or antifragile.

When times gets tough, it’s much better to be on one end of that spectrum than the other.

We might not be able to grow three heads when we’re decapitated, but we can build skills and systems that allow us to thrive when the world around us falls into chaos.

-Brandon