10 Ways to Know if You're in the Crucible
Engage in your own self-transformation
There is no question we are living in a time of great flux and change. But societies and cultures are always shifting and adjusting, and always in some stage of either expansion or collapse. There is no permanence in a society, nor is there ever a point of “arrival.”
What is true of society is true for human beings. As much as we try to pin ourselves (and others) down with labels, titles, roles, or personality characteristics, the most we can do is take a snapshot of a moment in time. Also, like a society, there is no point in which we “arrive” as human beings.
Rather than fixed titles or lifelong roles, human life is more like trying on and taking off all kinds of characters and characteristics. Until the day you die (and even then), you are always changing.
But the question is: Are you transforming?
There is a big difference between change and transformation. All human beings change. Not everyone transforms. Change is growing older, a kitten becoming a cat, lead being used as a pencil. Transformation is growing wiser, a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, or lead turning into gold.
Change doesn’t ask all that much from us, while transformation requires consciousness, humility, and reflection.
But first, all transformation starts with entering the crucible. Sometimes we do this willingly, as in when we undertake a personal growth program, retreat, or practice. And other times, the Universe puts us in the crucible through hardships, adversity, or life changes. The secret to personal transformation is to actively participate as the process unfolds.