 Every U.S. Marine you’ve ever met has gone through a trial of fire called “The Crucible.” A crucible is a severe test that can make a person stronger. In the case of Marines, it’s the final rite of passage before they earn the right to be “The Few, The Proud, The Marines.” Their crucible lasts 54 hour and involves 45 miles of marching, 45 pounds of gear, and 36 combat assaults. To make it more difficult, all of this happens while they are hungry and sleep deprived. What's surprising is that almost every Marine survives and passes the test. They expected the challenges, they knew others had succeeded, and they had been coached for this challenge since the moment they enlisted. They are also told that “the Crucible” has a purpose in their life – it will make them stronger and more resilient. In combat, it will keep them alive and moving forward.
You never ask for the crucible you endure. Nobody asks or plans for a cross to bear. You are blindsided and shocked at what you find yourself experiencing. Instead of imagining it making you stronger and more resilient, you see your best days behind you.
But here’s what the Marines have that you don’t – they know what to expect. They knew the date and time their crucible was going to start. They expected it. They knew they would probably succeed; because nearly all do. Lastly, they knew how to get through it. They had coaching from friends and veterans, including those who struggled through it to become their larger-than-life Generals. You did not expect your crucible. You didn’t know when it would happen. You doubt whether you will come through it, because you genuinely are concerned that you might not. And—because you never anticipated the situation—you don’t know how to get through it. You don’t have any of that yet, but you will. You couldn’t control when your crucible happened to you, but we know what it takes to get you through it. If you know it’s possible to survive and thrive through your crucible – because others have – and if you know what to do, you will go from feeling generally hopeless to being a General inspiration. To be clear, Your Next Chapter won’t only be about professional success, it’s also about personal contribution. It’s about how you contribute as a successful professional and how you contribute as a successful person. Here’s what happens when a person doesn’t strive for both.
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 Ten years from now, from a 30,000 foot level, your recovery might look similar to some other recoveries. But the day-by-day actions you will have taken to get there will have been unique.
There are probably dozens of successful formulas for recovery. We just don't know which one will work for us. But even if we knew the perfect 30,000 foot formula for our specific situation, it wouldn't be able give us much guidance on what exactly we should do today. Each of our situations, our personalities, and our dreams are wildly unique. But let's start here: Rather than thinking you're the only person who's facing these trials, please realize you're not alone. On the day when the news of Mike's crisis spread across the country, he received a surprising email with this subject line: "Confidential (friendly) note." Mike called the person, who explained that she had gone through something a little bit similar, and she shared how it had impacted her. She also offered assurance that other people had gone through something similar and that Mike was not alone. Although the full impact of the crisis hadn't yet registered Mike, this conversation became increasingly valuable in making him feel less isolated in later weeks. How you will recover from your crisis isn't yet clear. An important place to start is to realize that you're not alone. There are a lot of people silently cheering for you to get back on your feet. Let us help too. |
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