"Trenches"
Trenches, by definition, are deep and long. They are never a place we want to be. Instead, they are a place we need to be. Being in the trenches is the effect of struggle and chaos. Their depth offers a temporary moment out of which we are able to chart our next move; fight or flight, it’s all a question of tactic and objective.
Struggle is the essence of growth, but real struggle is painful and therefore real growth is as well. The deeper we need to dig the more it hurts, and easy environments – easy mindsets – breed stagnation and an interminable mediocrity.
We love the story of a hero. Undoubtedly, most of us cast ourselves in that starring role for our own narratives. But the hero’s journey is never an easy one. It is one of overcoming, one of challenge, and ultimately triumph riding on an unyielding spine of perseverance. There is no heroism of any kind if there is no pain first.
If we take care to notice, we each have our own trenches all around us, but to obtain value we need to recognize them for what they are. Injury, loss, and suffering are binding limits to some, or opportunities to grow for others. Perspective is crucial as the effortless linearity of progress is an illusion. All paths in life lead to the same destination underground, but it is an individual’s willingness to go deep of their own volition that illuminates the paths worth traveling from those that are not.
So, don’t shy away from the substance of pain, depths must be suffered in order to reach further heights. It is easy to be a hero in an armchair. If you are in a hole and the only tool you have is a shovel, then the only way out is to dig. Don’t dig down, dig forward. Then you will see that trenches are essential to rising out of the depth to something new.
Struggle is the essence of growth, but real struggle is painful and therefore real growth is as well. The deeper we need to dig the more it hurts, and easy environments – easy mindsets – breed stagnation and an interminable mediocrity.
We love the story of a hero. Undoubtedly, most of us cast ourselves in that starring role for our own narratives. But the hero’s journey is never an easy one. It is one of overcoming, one of challenge, and ultimately triumph riding on an unyielding spine of perseverance. There is no heroism of any kind if there is no pain first.
If we take care to notice, we each have our own trenches all around us, but to obtain value we need to recognize them for what they are. Injury, loss, and suffering are binding limits to some, or opportunities to grow for others. Perspective is crucial as the effortless linearity of progress is an illusion. All paths in life lead to the same destination underground, but it is an individual’s willingness to go deep of their own volition that illuminates the paths worth traveling from those that are not.
So, don’t shy away from the substance of pain, depths must be suffered in order to reach further heights. It is easy to be a hero in an armchair. If you are in a hole and the only tool you have is a shovel, then the only way out is to dig. Don’t dig down, dig forward. Then you will see that trenches are essential to rising out of the depth to something new.