“Winning is not a sometime thing: it’s an all the time thing.” – Vince Lombardi
In the journey of life, we are often misled into believing that success is a linear ascent—one peak followed by another, higher and greater. But in truth, as Vince Lombardi and countless sages throughout time have echoed, real growth requires both ascents and descents. Just as a mountain climber must descend into a valley before climbing to a higher peak, so too must individuals pass through trials, setbacks, and humbling seasons on their path to greatness.
This is not failure. This is process.
The Valley: The Classroom of Character
From the Frame of Reference, valleys are not punishments but preparatory sanctuaries. They test our:
- Emotional Intelligence: Can we manage discouragement and persevere with discipline?
- Moral Intelligence: Will we maintain integrity even when unseen and unrewarded?
- Spiritual Intelligence: Will we trust in a higher power and a divine timetable?
- Resilience: Will we grow or break under pressure?
These valleys separate the wheat from the chaff. They challenge us to shed pride, re-evaluate our motivations, and realign with eternal principles rather than fleeting pleasures. This is where men are forged, where parents become leaders, where leaders become servants.
Personality Ethics vs. Character Ethics
Those who seek instant gratification or shortcuts often plateau. They are operating under Personality Ethics—the pursuit of image, comfort, and public approval. But the climber who understands the process is centered on Character Ethics, drawn from our tapestry’s deeper sources:
- Stephen Covey’s principle-centered living
- Viktor Frankl’s will to meaning
- The Stoic acceptance of discipline and suffering
- The gospel truth that the way up is often down first
The Peaks Are Not the Point
As we teach in Tytler’s Cycle, civilizations rise through discipline and virtue, but they fall through complacency and selfishness. Every peak becomes a temptation—to rest, to believe we have “arrived,” to forget the struggle that built us.
But the faith-filled mindset knows: the real test comes after the victory.
- Will we stay humble?
- Will we teach the next generation?
- Will we begin the climb anew?
The Parable of the Valley
Consider the coffee bean parable from our tapestry. In hot water—trials—the potato becomes soft (victim), the egg becomes hard (bitter), but the coffee bean transforms the water. That is the goal in the valley—not to escape, but to transform it.
Each descent is a gift. Each loss is a lesson. Each setback is a signal that a greater summit is coming, if we prepare.
What This Means For You, Your Family, and Your Legacy
Whether you’re a father rebuilding after divorce, a mother worn down by daily battles, or a youth facing ridicule for standing on principle—you are in the valley not because you are lost, but because you are becoming.
Stand strong. Lean into God. Feed the good wolf. Climb with intention.
Because the next peak will demand everything you’ve gained in the valley.
And the world needs what you are becoming.
Keep climbing.
