What to do when the bottom falls out

When the world feels shaky, your steadiness matters more than ever.

Last weekend I saw The Tallest Man on Earth play in Saxapahaw, NC. It was the first day of the Swedish singer-songwriter's North American tour, at a modest venue in a quaint mill town in the middle of nowhere.

Throughout the show, it ws obvious that he was going through something. Between songs, he talked about how he lived in the US for years, and that it's a country he's always loved - and that it's felt different lately.

I'll second that.

He also said something that really stuck with me: if we could all just focus on being cooler humans, we'd live in a much better world.

I can't stop thinking about that.

I'm the first to tell you that I can't fix other people - but who I am is squarely in my locus of control.

So, let's start there.

Here’s the truth: we can’t control the economy, or the stock market, or the news cycle. But we can control how we show up.

When the bottom falls out, the instinct is to panic, to isolate, to hunker down and wait it out. But that’s not how we rebuild. Not really. What gets us through the hard stuff is community, clarity, and actions - even small ones.

So, what can you do?

• Check in on your people. Like, really check on them, and listen to what they're saying.
• Share what you’re learning. You never know who might benefit from it; and personal growth tends to open doors.
• Make introductions. Serendipity can't be created, but it can be seeded. The right connection at the right time can change someone’s life.
• Keep building. Not for the headlines, but for the people who’ll benefit from what you make - and for yourself.

The builders who keep showing up - kindly, consistently, with purpose - tend to be sources of support and community when it matters most.

tl;dr: Give without expecting anything in return, and be a cooler human.

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If you need evidence benevolent behavior is good for business, look at who’s done it before:

• Ben & Jerry’s has built their brand by showing up for people who can’t always speak up for themselves. They've made advocacy part of their product.
• Notion gives away tools to students and teachers as part of their mission to help people learn and grow.
• Fastly's devtools platform is accompanied by a strong mission to make the internet a better place.

You don’t need an underground bunker. You just need to be one of the people who gives a damn when things feel uncertain.

This is when it matters most. ✌️

Give 'em hell out there,

• Mike