The Zone

 Until at last, at the end of human strength, beaten into the dust from which he came, the metal is ready for the Maker’s Hand

The Ten Commandments, by Cecil B. DeMille

 

I've always loved that quote. While it's clear in the bible that it took Moses and the Israelites 40 years to walk from Egypt to Mt. Sinai, it's not clear how long it took Moses to walk from Egypt when he was exiled to Midian. But it must have been a long and arduous walk.

 

I've run many marathons. In order to get into the shape you need to get into, you have to practise. And those practise sessions can also be gruelling. But strangely enough, something happens inside you at those moments when it's very tough, and you feel like giving up. If you forge through the pain, what you become in the end is nothing short of miraculous.

 

Beaten into the dust from which he came, the metal is ready for the Maker's Hand.

 

It is very satisfying to do something hard and succeed. While the elation may not last too long, what's true also is that the pain is soon forgotten.

 

He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:13

 

Nature will not allow you to suffer indefinitely. The ultimate release is death, where there is no suffering at all. Physical suffering can be debilitating, and modern medicine has found a way to alleviate suffering for those who are really sick. However, during ancient times, when medicine was crude, the only way out from pain and suffering was truly death. If the brain could not survive the constant pain, it shut everything down.

 

When you run a marathon, everything starts well. The first five to ten kilometers are blissful. And if you did everything right in your preparation, then you will feel elated, no pain at all. Between the tenth and the twentieth kilometer, you begin to feel everything in your body. And you slowly switch from your physical strength, to the strength of your mind. From the twentieth kilometer to the thirtieth, your mind is totally in control and you become your own motivational speaker. The last ten kilometers is where the metal is being forged and beaten. Some of us run into the famous wall. Smack dab into it, but always, the strength of our minds, knowing that we will see a finish line keep us moving forward.

 

In work too we see the same thing. Unclear, vague goals, wading through murky politics. Slogging through. Like a construction site, very messy at the start and even worse in the middle. But the builder can close their eyes and see the finished product, because they've been here before. It's the storm before the calm. And it is inevitable in life. 

AVOID SUFFERING

You can't. Even if you're a billionaire, with an island far from rough humanity, with all the comforts you need. At some point Murphy will pay you a visit. It's inevitable. Murphy is the constant, just like they say that change is the only constant thing in life.

 

Since you cannot avoid suffering, expect it at every turn, look on its face acceptingly, knowing like all things, it will pass at some point. The past couple of years have been challenging, running a business is not all fun and games, there are many challenging moments, moments of doubt, moments of insecurity, moments when you even doubt your ability to get to the finish line. But that too is the famous wall, and it inevitably always passes.