Be Antifragile
Apr 06, 2025
Been thinking about the Roman Empire lately?
Same. Obviously.
Especially their concrete ๐งฑ
Modern concrete? Cracks, crumbles, collapses.
Roman concrete? Gets stronger when it breaks.
Why?
Because those ancient overachievers mixed volcanic ash ๐, lime ๐งช, and seawater ๐ into a self-healing miracle.
When it cracks, saltwater triggers a chemical reaction that fills the gaps with a mineral called aluminum tobermorite.
Stress doesn't break it.
Stress makes it stronger.
Roman concrete is antifragile.
What’s that?
Nassim Taleb coined the term in 2012. He explained how systems respond to stress in three ways:
Fragile: break under pressure ๐
Resilient: resist pressure ๐ก๏ธ
Antifragile: get better because of pressure ๐ฅ
Like muscles at the gym ๐๏ธโ๏ธ Or careers in a job search ๐ผ
So what if you were antifragile?
Lose your job?
“Great - time to earn more ๐ฐ doing something I actually like.”
Recruiter ghosts you?
“Happy they found the right fit - mine’s still coming โ๏ธ”
Told you’re overqualified?
“Perfect - I’ll aim higher ๐”
Long job hunt?
“Awesome - more time to level up ๐ before I hit the ground running.”
“Keep in touch”?
“Will do - and now I’ve got one more ally in my corner ๐ค”
The stress doesn’t have to break you.
It can build you - if you let it ๐ช
After all, stardust is made under pressure ๐
And you, my friend, are made of the same stuff.
Act accordingly.
Something that would make me antifragile?
Connecting with you → Eric Woodard
๐ Let's get your career stuff handled, find time to talk here. ๐ฒ
