What Does it Mean to Be an Anti-Fragile Entrepreneur?

Recently, I have been reading books and writings about some of the biggest themes running through society, from studies on how to overcome to safe-spaces on college campuses and trigger warnings to the ways in which people have come to subconsciously and emotionally deal with things.

I have been doing this in order to better understand where society as a whole is and where it is going - and more importantly how to thrive as an entrepreneur now and in the future.

There is one thing that I see that stands out as I continue to study these different themes (some I agree with, some I don't, and some I think are downright ridiculous), is that one of the biggest solutions to many of the issues and problems we bring upon ourselves is to understand and to become anti-fragile.  And make no mistake, many of the things that are happening in society are brought upon by ourselves, our sub-conscious, and not taking time to understand each other, but just reacting emotionally in the moment.  It is not surprising as we have been conditioned to instantness and thus often react without thinking or even considering if we truly believe and understand the reaction we are having.  

This causes us to create and manifest issues in our lives (whether they truly exist or not) that compound upon themselves and for many, serve paralyze us.

We as entrepreneurs must be careful not to fall prey to this pseudo reality.  We should not shy away from challenge, conflict, stress and calculated risk, but embrace it.  And this is where Anti-fragility comes in.  Anti-fragile is, well, the opposite of fragile.  But it may not be what you think.  Fragile things when stressed or challenged break apart or are destroyed.  Being Anti-fragile means that when stressed or challenge the object gets stronger and better.  Going through the stress, challenges, conflict, navigating risk, etc. makes those that are Anti-fragile stronger, better and more able to adapt and succeed.  

Many of the studies I have read, both social and scientific, have come to the conclusion that solution to many of the issues and challenges that manifest in people's lives is to embrace them and see them through - not run away from them or invent excuses not to deal with them.  Now, this may seem like common sense, but it is not what is happening across the world.  Why do we need a safe space on a college campus when the whole point of college is to have a place showcasing dramatically different views where students can listen, learn, and choose to make up their mind as to what they truly believe?  Suppressing the ability to do this or outright banning it creates fragility, not Anti-fragility.  And fragility is not going to help people succeed and reach their true potential in life.

As an entrepreneur, we must embrace every we can to make us more Anti-fragile, to become better, stronger, so that we can lead and do the good in the world we are meant to do.  Everything and I mean everything in this world comes from entrepreneurship and I believe entrepreneurs are the answer to much of the world's problems.  And Anti-fragility is a key to entrepreneur success.