Our Greatest Fears

Today’s Topics

• Falling Through the Cracks 💥

• Run The Simulation 💻

  5 Mins Read Time

Falling Through the Cracks 💥

By Jo

Some people aren’t just lost—they were never given a map. No mentors. No blueprint. No moments of grace or guidance to build them up. All they ever got was, “Figure it out.” And that’s the kind of advice that builds a tough shell, but rarely a strong foundation.

Falling through the cracks doesn’t always look like failure—it looks like quiet struggle. It’s learning on the go. It’s making do. It’s surviving environments that expect you to swim before you even knew water was dangerous. People will tell you to “just grind harder” or “want it more,” never realizing some folks started the race with weights tied to their feet.

I think back to how oblivious I was about nutrition growing up. I didn’t drink water regularly from early childhood all the way into my mid-teens. Pop was the norm—every single day. I genuinely can’t remember choosing water unless I was forced to. Then came Gatorade and Powerade. I thought I was leveling up, but truthfully, it was more of the same—just sugar in a sports bottle. If I had understood the importance of water, I know I could’ve been a better athlete, in better shape, with better health. And that’s not just physical—it’s mental too. Your diet affects your emotional stability, your energy, even the possibility of avoiding disorders that too many people are battling or dying from today. But I can’t blame my parents—they weren’t educated on it either. It took trial and error to get here. Now? All I drink is water. Mountain Dew couldn’t get near me with a ten-foot pole. Not because I’m judging anyone else, but because I’ve seen the evidence. I’ve lived through the ignorance.

There’s fear in realizing how much you didn’t know. But there’s power, too. Power in awareness. Power in breaking the cycle—slowly, painfully, but intentionally.

If no one ever pulled you up, you still have the ability to reach out and pull someone else. That’s how you change the narrative. That’s how you keep someone else from falling through the same cracks.

Because once you recognize the cracks, you stop falling—you start building.

Run The Simulation 💻

By Marcus

Let’s play a game this week. An exercise in thought exploration.

Have you ever thought, “If I would’ve known better…”?

A counterfactual simulation is essentially an activity where you explore "what if" scenarios, both past and present.

It’s a powerful exercise because it helps drive better decision-making—not just for governments, economies, and businesses, but for us as individuals too.

We owe it to ourselves to not sabotage our own efforts, to confront our fears, and to develop the skills we need to thrive in an unpredictable world.

Into the Past

I remember several years ago when I aggressively went after a promotion.

My logic at the time: I’m ready. Let’s do this. Let’s get the money and move on to bigger roles.

I got the job. I beat out a few people who were more senior than me—and was quickly relocated out of state to prove myself once again.

In retrospect, when I run this simulation, I see where I went wrong.

• First, I didn’t fully account for the number of problems I would inherit in this new role (which I overcame).

• Second, I didn’t like the new city I moved to. That part, I could tolerate. More of a temporary pain.

The third issue? That’s what really got me: sudden job displacement.

Long story short is I performed well, but my location was sold to another party.

I had two weeks to figure out my next move and wasn’t even offered severance until two days before my final day.

Running that counterfactual simulation taught me two lessons:

1. If you work for anyone, job displacement can disrupt your life in ways you can’t always predict. No one is safe-regardless of performance.

2. One source of income isn’t enough. You have to take smart risks to free yourself from repeating lesson one.

Back to the Future

Don’t be afraid to spend time with your future self. The person you want to be—the life you want to create—is possible.

Run a simulation. Look ahead. Ask yourself:

• If I started working on “X” today, where would I be in a year or two?

• If I hadn’t made that decision, how would things look now?

• What consequences might come from this choice I’m about to make?

• Who could offer me objective insight on this situation?

You’ll find that asking “what if?” prepares you for uncertainty and sharpens the skills and judgment you need to navigate it.

Be an active participant in shaping your future.

Run the simulation. Then act accordingly.