Nearly 160 RadReaders took the Antifragile Assessment last week. The average score was 57/100.
OK, now for the fun part… Here’s a breakdown of the results (i.e. beginning with least antifragile).
1. Do you have more than one source of income > 10%?
1.8 (Average Score)
This isn’t surprising, so don’t be hard on yourself here. It’s hard to create other sources of income when you have a full-time job.
But… It’s absolutely possible. One of my favorite examples is from RadReader Nat Eliason. He sells access to his brain for $25 a year.
What’s in his brain? It turns out, a lot. But what he’s selling are the highlights for all the books he’s ever read. And since he reads a lot, it turns out that this can be quite lucrative – to the tune of $600 / month.
Plus, you shared with me that we got something to work with: 90% of you could sell something worth $100! That’s a remarkable stepping stone.
2. What are the strength of your habits? (6.3/10)
Come on fam, we can do better than that. Just read James Clear’s Atomic Habits and you’ll easily be at an 8.
3. How strong is your tribe? (6.5/10)
Think about your squad, your tribe, your communities. How can you be a servant leader to them? How can you create situations in which a rising tide lifts all boats?
One tactic, learn from superconnectors who build generosity-first relationships focused on helping others.
(Another way, write a newsletter to help others thrive.)
4. Can you tame your fight-or-flight reflex? (6.5/10)
This is a tough one. For me, it’s involved hundreds of hours getting coached (first by Kate Bednarski, currently by Andrew Taggart and by Lisa Daron for our marriage) – in the past 5 years I’ve spent ~$50,000 on coaching.
And it’s the best money I’ve ever spent.
Some things that coaching can help with: fear of going broke, negative self-talk, and existential angst about mortality and relevance.
And guess what: it’s during uncertain times like the current moment that these fears flare up.
5. What is your ability to persuade others? (6.6/10)
This is a skill that I didn’t recognize nor appreciate until late in my career (~ age 36). But if you think about it, so much of life is an exercise in persuasion (and storytelling):
- Investment committee meetings (Let me persuade you to make this investment)
- Interviews (Let me persuade you to hire me)
- Writing a headline for your blog post (Let me persuade you to read this)
- Dating (Let me persuade you that I’m a worthy partner)
- Parenting (Let me persuade you that this behavior is good for you)
Furthermore, no AI or robot will ever automate this away. Think about some of the most antifragile people you know – how good are they at communicating a vision?
Here’s a little cheatsheet on how to get take that 6.6 to a 7.6!
6. Do you understand your cash flow? (6.7/10)
This is an easy one, team. It’s so obvious in this current environment who truly understands their cash flow. These are the folks aggressively loading up their 529 plans, investing in themselves, and donating to those in need.
I get it – no one wants to see how much money was wasted on an unused gym membership or how that Europe vacation blew through your budget. But like question 4 (fight-or-flight), this clarity leads to decisiveness and antifragility.
If you scored low here, I immediately recommend you conduct a spending staredown using YNAB, TillerHQ or just a good ol’ Google Sheet. (And here’s how to create a net-worth tracker.)
The best of the rest
Here were the last few scores:
- 60% of you spent at least 1 hour a week learning a new skill ?
- The ability to do deep work [7.1/10]
- Being top 10% in your field/peer group [7.2/10]
And finally, here’s your definition of antifragility
Here’s a little word cloud of your responses:
