Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. - Psalm 23:4
I spoke with a client the other day about transitioning early from active duty military to civilian life. One topic that came up again and again was the analogy of coming down off a mountain peak (a successful military career), walking through a dark, foggy, disorientating, confusing valley, and then beginning to climb up another peak on the other side.
This is an analogy familiar to anyone who has read David Brooks’ excellent book The Second Mountain. It’s also a similar idea in Arthur C. Brooks’ (no relation) book From Strength to Strength.
One idea I kept coming back to with this client is that, like a experienced hiker, it doesn’t matter how much training, how much gear you have, how much studying you’ve done, when you’re going through the valley. It will probably suck. You might lose your way. You might follow dead end trails, or paths that loop back on themselves, or paths that go up a mountain, but, as you break out into sunlight and clear air, you realize this isn’t the mountain you want to be climbing.
That is all normal. That is fine. That is part of the process. You have to go through the valley. Being in the valley isn’t failure. It’s part of the plan.