A couple +1s ago, we talked about the power of buoyancy and the optimal ratio of positive to negative.
Recall that, as per Barbara Fredrickson (the leading researcher on the subject), we want a positive to negative ratio of 3:1. Not 1:1 or 1:2.
And… Not 11:1.
She says we want to balance “levity” with “gravity.”
Too much of one or the other and we can fly away into an ungrounded fantasy land or… into a pit of despair.
Levity + Gravity = Buoyancy.
When I first read that, I thought of our chats about being antifragile.
Recall that one of the ways Nassim Taleb tells us we can cultivate our antifragility is to take a “barbell” approach to life. (Check out this +1 for more on that.)
First, imagine a barbell with weights on either side of bar: ( ) ——— ( )
The basic idea is that (in pretty much any aspect of your life) you want to be simultaneously super AGGRESSIVE and super CONSERVATIVE.
Building a business? Awesome. As you swing for the fences make sure you do it without ever risking knocking yourself completely out of the game.
That’s our antifragile barbell: ( Conservative ) ————— ( Aggressive )
Notice that we can stand that barbell up and drop in levity and gravity. Like so:
( Levity )
|
|
|
( Gravity )
That’s our buoyancy barbell.
How’s yours?
Do you tend to lean one way or the other?
What’s one little way you can Optimize today?
Here’s to building your buoyancy biceps one rep at a time! 💪
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