Issue #50 "Surviving The Greatest Storms - 5 Lessons From Milton for Navigating Life’s Hardships"

Last week, Hurricane Milton swept through Florida. Fortunately, we were spared the brunt of the storm on the southeast coast, but we still experienced a taste of its immense power. The anxiety surrounding the storm was palpable. Touted as the “storm of the century,” Milton left businesses shuttered, streets silent, and residents sheltering at home—an eerie reminder of pandemic lockdowns.

Though my family and I personally escaped the worst of it, many communities were not as fortunate. Milton carved a grim path across the state, leaving destruction and loss in its wake. Initially, it felt overwhelming—how could anyone face such power without feeling like a victim? But reflecting on the storm, I was reminded of a deeper truth: Storms—whether physical or metaphorical—are inevitable in life. As Buddha said, “Life is suffering.” Pain and adversity will find us, but we have a choice: these storms can either break us or make us better.

Here are my key lessons from reflecting on many of the storms and full blown disasters in my own life:

1. Embracing the Storms

We live in a world that glorifies comfort, pleasure, and ease. Yet, real growth occurs when life forces us out of our comfort zones. Always sunshine, only desert. Without storms—whether they take the form of challenges, loss, or failure—there is no true growth.

When is a tree strengthened? Not on calm days, but when fierce winds force its roots to grow deeper. These same winds that threaten to uproot it are the ones that secure its durability. 

It is said that the north sea made the Norseman. Meaning the grit of the Norsemen was forged by surviving harsh conditions of their environment. Likewise our character is built through the storms we face. Anyone can sail on a calm sea; strength is developed when we confront the gales head-on.

2. Becoming Antifragile

The concept of resilience—the ability to bend without breaking—is useful, but it’s incomplete. Life’s storms shouldn’t just return us to our previous state; they should make us stronger. Antifragility, a term coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, goes beyond resilience. It describes things that don’t just survive adversity—they thrive because of it.

A great fictional example is the Sword of Gryffindor from Harry Potter. The sword absorbs the qualities of courage and strength from the one who wields it, and it even becomes stronger when exposed to deadly elements of the wielder's adversaries. In the same way, we have the opportunity to absorb strength and come back as a better and stronger person from the challenges we face. 

I experienced this first hand when I was training for the Hong Kong ultra marathon. In my first attempt, the training was grueling, and race day brought the added challenge of an unexpected ice storm. I didn’t finish the race and almost came to the conclusion I was not cut out for ultra-distance running.  However after spending some time reflecting on what I learned about myself during the experience, I came to the realization that IIwas now better equipped.  On my second attempt, I completed the 100km feat. More importantly, the journey expanded my comfort zone, allowing me to grow not just physically but also spiritually, mentally and emotionally.  

We can’t control life’s storms, but we can control our response to them. Will we let the storm tear us down, making us into bitter victims, or will we let the winds root ourselves deeper and allow the rain to nourish our growth? Our response will determine our outcome. Like the Sword of Gryffindor, we can absorb the lessons and qualities that the storm brings that will in turn prepare us for the battles ahead.

3. From Survive to Thrive

When faced with adversity, many choose passivity, giving away their power and agency to the circumstances. But to truly thrive, we must be intentional, leaning into life’s challenges rather than retreating from them. Thriving requires effort. It means engaging deeply with every experience, even the uncomfortable ones. Action precedes feelings, and consistent action leads to growth which provides the personal satisfaction we are seeking.

As Napoleon Hill once said, “You must get involved to have an impact. No one is impressed with the win-lose record of a referee.” Growth is not a passive state; it requires us to actively engage, to wrestle with discomfort, and to embrace the messy parts of life. Those who thrive do so by not seeing the storm as a threat but as fuel for transformation.

4. Storms Clear the Path for New Growth

A storm can be nature’s way of purging the old to make room for the new. After Hurricane Milton passed, the landscape looked drastically different. Trees were down, power lines tangled, and flooding ravished entire neighborhoods. However over time, the waters will recede, the power will be restored and the debris will be cleared. Often, what replaces the old will be better than the original.

Similarly, the storms in our lives strip away what no longer serves us, forcing us to adapt and evolve. If we choose to see storms not as destructive forces but as purifying ones, we can use them to clear the way for growth and renewal. Every challenge carries an opportunity for transformation.

5. The Hero’s Journey

With every storm we face, we advance along our own hero’s journey. A compelling story isn’t one of constant victory; it’s filled with trials, setbacks, and moments of doubt. By definition, a hero is someone who overcomes adversity.  A life without struggle would be a dull story, devoid of meaning and growth.

When storms hit, we are given three choices: to be a victim, believing we are powerless; to be a bystander, watching life unfold without engaging; or to be the hero, stepping into the storm and embracing it with courage. Heroes know that trials are inevitable, and they use these moments to build their strength and character.

As the apostle Paul wrote, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Each storm has the opportunity to refine us, to shape us and make us stronger for future challenges.

Rising Stronger

The next time a storm blows through your life, remember: you have a choice in how it will affect you. Pressure has the potential to either break pipes or make diamonds. When it hits, will you succumb to the pressure or rise above it? If you choose in your response to rise, you give yourself the chance to not only overcome the storm but also emerge stronger, more courageous, and more prepared as a result.

Storms are not to be considered as just moments of trial but rather as opportunities for growth and transformation. They can clear the way for something new and better, allowing you to emerge stronger, more courageous, and more capable than before.

As your reflect and consider ask yourself the following questions:

What storm in your life—past or present—has shaped you the most, and how did you respond to it?

When faced with adversity, do you find yourself taking on the role of a victim, bystander, or hero?

What area of your life currently feels like it needs to be “cleared” or renewed by a storm?

Longer Version:‍

A few weeks ago hurricane Milton swept through Florida.   Fortunately where we were based on the south east coast of the state, we did not experience the brunt of Milton’s fury. That said, we got a small taste of the effects of this spectacular display of nature's power, that left me in awe of the power of nature. 

The anxiety ahead of the advancing storm as palpable. Milton was labeled the “storm of the century,” the biggest hurricane to ever make landfall. We were advised by the local authorities to “shelter at home” creating a dejavu of eerily similar dynamics witnessed during the pandemic; empty sidewalks, businesses shut down and quiet streets.

Just before nightfall, I stood outside and marveled at the dark layer of massive thunderheads, as they approached.  With them came massive gusts of wind, torrential rain and a spectacular electrical display. The trees bent violently under the immense pressures and the ocean thrashed relentlessly under the raw, uncontainable power of the storm's fury. Adding to the anxiety, several alerts went off throughout the evening as nearby communities were hit with Tornadoes.  

Fortunately I was spared the worst of the storm's impact, however I am keenly aware that there were many others who were less fortunate.  Milton carved a grim path of devastation across much of the state. 

At first it was overwhelming, hearing the reports of tragic destruction and a few cases of lives lost.  It was hard not to feel that we were powerless victims of this incredible maelstrom.  

However as I contemplated what had happened it reminded me of something important: Storms in life—whether physical or metaphorical—are inevitable. Buddha once famously said: “Life is suffering.” Meaning that in life we will all experience disappointment and pain.  However I have come to learn that the storms we will face in life, have the potential to either break us or to make us better.  

With that in mind, here are my takeaways of living through hurricane Milton and what the storm taught me about facing the storms in my life:

1. Embracing the Storms

We live in a world where we are often told to avoid discomfort, chase pleasure, and avoid pain at all costs. However intuitively we know that real growth only happens when we are challenged and pushed outside of our comfort zone.  

Always sunshine; only desert.  We need the storms of life (the disruptions, the losses, and failures) to shake us and to push us out of our comfort zones.

Think about it: when is a tree strengthened? Not on calm days when everything is in perfect balance, but during the winds that force the tree to root deeper into the ground. The same winds that threaten its stability are also the ones that ultimately secure its durability. 

It has been said that it was the north sea’s that made the Norsemen. The grit and toughness that characterized their conquests were a result of surviving and adapting to their harsh environment. It is also a reminder that anyone can sail on an ocean that is warm and calm. 

Character is created when we the courage to confront the gale force winds of life.  We should expect that the winds from these “storms of perfection,” will either uproot us or deepen our roots and strengthen us from within.

2. Becoming Antifragile

The word resilience is commonly used in today’s vernacular when describing how we approach challenges. Being resilient means that when we are under stress, we will return back to our previous state. To bend but not to be broken. 

While I appreciate the word, I don’t think it properly characterizes what ultimately happens in human growth. If we don’t just go through challenges but rather grow through them, we grow back better and stronger than we were before. 

The concept of antifragility, coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, explains that some things not only withstand stress and chaos but can actually become stronger as a result.  A fictional example of this the Sword of Gryffindor from is in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The sword absorbs the qualities of bravery, courage, and strength of the person who wielding it, as well as the foes that it defeats. This makes the sword stronger over time.

This same opportunity to become antifragile is available to all of us.  In the moments of trial, while we cannot change what happens; we are given a choice of how we will respond. Will we allow the winds to tear us down, succumbing to the pressures of the storm and becoming a bitter victim. Or will we choose to become better by rooting deeper and letting the rains nourish our growth? 

Our response determines our outcome; like the sword of Gryffindor, are we absorbing the qualities that will make us stronger for the battles ahead?

3. From Survive to Thrive

When facing storms, most will choose a life of passivity or at the very least of becoming reactionary.  As a result these individuals will simply survive by giving their power and agency to the event instead of maintaining ownership. 

To truly thrive we need to become intentional, leaning in and confronting challenges head on. To live intentionally, means a willingness to grow beyond our current capacity. As such we need to engage deeply with all of life’s experiences, regardless of how we might feel. Action precedes feelings and when we consistently take action we increase our personal satisfaction.   

Napoleon Hill, in his timeless wisdom, said, “You must get involved to have an impact. No one is impressed with the win-lose record of a referee.” 

Thriving is not a passive state; it’s an active choice. It’s easy to stand by and watch the storm, and to simply commentate.  However to truly grow we need to step into the arena and we need to actively engage and wrestle with the discomforts.

When the winds of change blow, those who thrive do so not by avoiding the storm but by embracing it and using it as fuel for transformation. Growth requires discomfort. 

4. Storms Clear The Path For New Growth

A storm can be nature’s way of purging the old in order to prepare for the new. 

In the aftermath of the hurricane, as the skies cleared and the winds died down, the world looked different. The landscape had changed. Across the storms path, there was scattered debris, downed power lines down and water flooding much of the area.

However the waters will recede, the power will be restored and the debris will be cleaned up and in many cases what is restored will be replaced by something better.  

Likewise the storms in our lives can be a way clear the way, stripping away what no longer serves us, giving us the opportunity to evolve, adapt and grow.  

We can choose to see the storm not as a destructive force but as a purifying one, helping us wash away the old, to make room for the new. 

5. The Hero’s Journey

With every challenge we face we should know it is part of a greater story. The story of our “becoming” is being revealed as we advance on the path of our own hero’s journey.  

For the story to be compelling, it cannot be a life of just victory and ease. By the very definition of the word “hero,” it means we are overcoming the villans and adversities that we will face. How compelling is a story if there is no drama and conflict? As such we should expect that our lives will be filled storms that bring trials and tribulations. 

However, what defines a hero isn’t the absence of struggle—it’s our response to it.  The crucial point is that when the struggles hit, we get to choose to either overcome or to be overwhelmed. We can let the storms in our lives either build strength within us or to beat the strength out of us.  

We have three possible choices: to be a victim who believes they have no agency; to be a bystander who simply comments and observes but lacks courage or to be the hero who leans into the storm and actively engages. 

When you are living as the hero you should expect that the winds will blow and the torrential rains will pour. In the words of Paul the apostle we should “We should rejoice in our suffering knowing that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character and character gives us hope.”  The hope is that in our trials we are being shaped, refined and perfected into something stronger than before.  

So, the next time we face a storm—whether it’s a literal hurricane or a metaphorical one—remember that we have the power to choose how it will affect us.  When the winds are howling and it feels like our world is collapsing, we can either succumb to the pressure or rise above it. If we choose to rise, in so doing we not only overcome the storm, but we should expect to emerge stronger, more courageous, and more capable than before.

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