The Rising Tide Raises All Boats

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 50 seconds

When one of your competitors grows, you rise too.

Success isn’t a zero-sum game - it’s a shared experience.

Support your peers, and you support yourself too.

The rising tide raises all boats.

Here’s an illustration to help you understand this principle more:

The wave of success is yours to ride, regardless of who first caught that wave.

You can float or sink.

Will you capitalise on the opportunity, or will you be left behind?

Let’s hammer the point of today’s newsletter:

Kennedy used this phrase to describe economic policy - but it holds true in life and relationships too.

When the people around you thrive, it creates more energy, opportunity, and encouragement for everyone.

Collective growth makes personal growth more sustainable, and more joyful.

We’re often taught to compare, compete, or climb alone, right?

But wisdom reminds us: growth multiplies when it’s shared.

When you cheer on your peers, share your knowledge, or celebrate someone else’s win - you elevate their experience and lift the whole tide, not just their boat.

The people around you aren’t obstacles to overcome; they’re part of the current that can carry you forward.

Here are 3 ways to lift the tide for others and yourself:

1. Celebrate someone else’s success.
   Jealousy shrinks us. Encouragement expands us. Next time your ‘competition’ achieves something, be their most vocal cheerleader.

2. Share what’s working.
   Wisdom hoarded dies in silence. What you’ve learned can help someone else grow faster.

3. Build generous momentum.
   The more you give, the more energy you create in your network - and it often circles back.
   Someone who embodies this principle is Simon Alexander Ong; if you’re not following his work, consider doing so.

Let’s dive deeper into today’s wisdom with these 3 journal prompts:

• Who around me could use encouragement, connection, or a signal that I’m rooting for them?

• Where have I been comparing myself, when I could have been collaborating instead?

• What would happen if I treated personal growth as a group activity?

Want to learn more about journaling? Join Journal Wiser today!

Today’s resource Give and Take by Adam Grant.

This book unpacks how generosity in relationships and work leads to long-term success.

Grant shows how helping others isn’t just kind - it can be strategic, wise, and surprisingly powerful.

If you have any feedback on the WISER Newsletter, I would love to hear it! Simply reply to this email, and I will get back to you. Alternatively, just DM me on social media.

You can find my social links and learn how to work with me here.

Catch you in the next issue!

Thanks,
Michael