The Life Cycle of Life
Warren Buffett, Jesus Christ, and you
In 2015, Warren Buffett sold his entire stake in Tesco, a British supermarket.
He lost $444 million.
Everyone has bad days.
When you’re going through a rough patch, cliches come at you like grief-seeking missiles.
“It’s always darkest before the dawn,” people tell you.
“Can’t have the good without the bad.”
“This too shall pass.”
And you eke out a thin smile, cast your eyes down, and bobble your head.
“You’re right,” your face says.
“Just shut up,” your mind thinks.
Perspective is a flighty creature.
When you don’t need it, you’re full of it.
When you need it most, it vanishes.
And it makes sense. It’s easy to see life’s beauty when you’re soaring at 10,000 feet — but it’s tough to take flight when your wings are clipped.
And because perspective can be so flakey, it’s a flimsy cornerstone to build upon.
Because, yes, you know you have it good.
And yes, you know it’s all going to be OK.
But right now?
It’s hard to see that.
So instead, remember this:
Life is cyclical.
You understand that life has peaks and valleys.
But have you ever considered that peaks and valleys are non-negotiable?
That even if you somehow executed a perfect life, made the correct decision 100% of the time, and live-laugh-loved your way through each day, the valleys would still show up, right on schedule? Heck, even the Son of God expired with three nails in him.
It’s a common piece of motivational-poster advice:
“Embrace the valleys! It just means the peaks are coming.”
But when you’re mired in the muck, how useless is that to hear?
It’s like telling Robespierre to smile because it’ll all get better after the guillotine drops.
Embracing the valleys — at best — is a half-hearted exercise in futility.
Anger is more likely. Confusion. Frustration.
That’s normal. That’s human.
Instead of trying to embrace the valleys and getting upset when you struggle to grasp perspective, try reminding yourself that the valleys are non-negotiable.
They’re inevitable, they’re unavoidable, they’re inescapable.
And while that might feel depressing, I think it’s freeing.
No matter who you are, what you do, or how flawlessly you live your life, valleys are always going to exist.
No one has ever lived a life without valleys. No one ever will.
Because life is cyclical.
My key takeaway from this (based on my own life and entrepreneurial efforts) is that there is always going to be THE DIP. It's inevitable.
But knowing it's going to happen, acknowledging it when it happens and knowing that everyone who succeeds goes through it and comes out if it will make all of the difference in the world.
It sounds basic because it is.