Last week, nearly 2/3 of my co-workers were furloughed. This means that 161 of my colleagues are now left in a state of chaos as they question what is next. I have been there myself. It is a scary, sad, unpleasant place to be. My organization is not alone; many organizations have been forced to make this incredibly tough decision because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic projections estimate that the pandemic could increase the number of unemployed Americans to 47 million people in the US (currently 10 million).
The recent events caused by this unexpected pandemic remind us all that no one is above Struggle. Life deals every single person difficult times, and there is no escaping this reality. However, rarely does a single event impact millions of people at once like COVID-19. Most often, we experience events of Struggle in a personal fashion. The Struggle arrives in the form of a bad medical report, a failed marriage, a sick family member, or the loss of a job. COVID-19 has unleashed Struggle on the entire world like an avalanche of difficulties consuming entire cities, industries, and economies in one singular event.
Whether the Struggle is a singular, personal event like the death of a loved one, or in the form of a worldwide pandemic, the choice is the same. Episodic Struggle can help make a person resilient, and much of our struggle in the United States is episodic. Our modern lifestyle has made much of our Struggle irregular, only lasting a short time. But the Steady Struggle of events like COVID-19 gives people the rare opportunity to become antifragile.
Antifragile is superior to resilience because where resilience is toughness, antifragility is growth. Nassim Taleb explains the concept of antifragility in his book, Antifragile. Taleb explains, “Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same, the antifragile gets better.” It is one thing to simply weather the storms of life, to survive, to exist. But what if we could use the Struggle to improve, not merely to bounce back, but to see significant gains in the process of the Struggle.
Our current Struggle would be a waste if we simply endured it to then return back to the same state as before COVID-19, if we merely absorbed or repelled the impact of COVID-19. The beauty in the struggle of COVID-19 is that it seems that our entire society will have some opportunity to become more antifragile. The question becomes how you choose to use the Struggle, do you merely stand against the onslaught of Struggle? Do you simply weather the storm to emerge water-logged and hardened, but not truly improved?
I argue that we shouldn’t waste the Struggle created by COVID-19. As we emerge from the chaos, we should have renewed confidence in our ability to withstand a litany of difficulty. The growth will only be evident if when life returns to normal you still choose the HARD option. Do you take that online course? Do you leave an unhealthy relationship? Do you plan intentional time to spend with your loved ones? The growth isn’t that you are comfortable using one sheet of toilet paper per trip to the restroom, but that you willingly embrace (even look for), the HARDER of two options.
“Wind extinguishes the candle, but energies the fire.” The winds are strong, so which will you choose — candle or fire. Use the winds of COVID-19 to fuel your fire so as life returns to normalcy you possess the heat and energy to accomplish anything you desire.