You make your biggest strides under pressure.
My son’s reading The Crucible right now – a worthy rite of passage. And meanwhile, I’m seeing dozens of students drag through long days with Les Misérables musical rehearsals reaching till 10pm. They’re exhausted.
But in my experience, every exhausted period is a chance to grow and to learn about oneself. Maybe the best chance. It’s only at our limit when we find what we’re capable of.
Just as it’s only when heated in a crucible that a precious metal can be reshaped into something beautiful. A clump of silver may be valuable, but it’s not beautiful. Not like a piece of jewelry or a silver teapot.
Crucibles are hard. They’re supposed to be hard. Only in that difficulty can we become the most beautiful versions of ourselves.