Be in the 2%
Future Rise Newsletter #32 | Sep 16th (2025)
We have built a world that makes everything easier. Groceries arrive at
your door. A car picks you up. You scroll to feel something. We have
traded effort for convenience and in doing so we have created what
Michael Easter calls an evolutionary mismatch. Our bodies and
brains were designed for challenge and movement, but our
environment no longer demands it. So we get restless. Anxious.
Disconnected.
But a simple choice changes everything. Take the stairs.
Only 2% of people choose the stairs when an escalator or elevator is
available. Not because they have to. But because they know who they
are becoming.
Being in the 2% is not about punishing yourself or rejecting comfort. It's
about choosing tiny doses of what's hard to stay connected to yourself.
To your strength. To your energy. It reminds you that you can do
challenging and hard things even when no one is watching.
Especially then.
We often think change needs to be dramatic. That big breakthroughs
require big declarations. But it's the quiet, consistent moments of
chosen challenge that build the deepest kind of power.
So take the stairs. Do the challenging thing, the hard thing. Build a
life that doesn't wait for a crisis to wake you up.
Takeaways
• Too much ease can dull your edges. Choose effort where it counts.
• Small acts of discomfort and challenge keep you strong and present.
• The 2% are not waiting for life to begin. They are living it now.
Actionable Insight
Next time you have a choice, take the stairs and not the elevator.
Both literally and metaphorically.
With these small compound increases, you'll grow to the next
level.
Until next time...keep future rising
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