Antifragility
Some things get stronger from stress and disorder.
Explanation
Nassim Taleb identified three categories: fragile things break under stress, robust things resist stress, and antifragile things actually get stronger from stress. Understanding this helps you build systems and make decisions that benefit from volatility and uncertainty rather than just surviving them.
Real-World Example
Muscles become stronger when stressed through exercise. Immune systems strengthen from exposure to mild pathogens. Startups with diverse revenue streams become more resilient during economic downturns. Decentralized systems become more robust when individual parts fail.
How to Apply
Build antifragility into your life: diversify income sources, develop multiple skills, maintain loose connections with many people, keep some resources in reserve. When possible, choose options that have unlimited upside but limited downside. Embrace small failures that make you stronger for bigger challenges.