It doesn't always get worse

Suffering and the crucible of growth

I recently reconnected with my bike, love of cycling and suffering. Once you log enough hours in the saddle you appreciate — “cycling is suffering” as the great Fausto Coppi once put it.

Cycling can be demanding as it is rewarding — turning the pedals to reveal our true form. The manifestation of grit, hard work and determination.

There is also value in learning how to suffer. How to persevere and ultimately find pleasure in it. Each pedal stroke representing a sense of control. One where we actively choose how to experience pain and personal discovery.

The Climb

One of the most arduous parts of your route’s journey is the uphill climb — legs burning, lungs gasping… but you keep going. The summit, just up ahead, represents a sense of achievement and often the reward of a downhill descent.

In Tech, the drive for continuous innovation in product development is akin to scaling metaphorical mountains. In an effort to satisfy our customers, we encounter steep learning curves, fickle markets and a priori technical impossibilities. Each novel problem solved, bug fixed and milestone reached leaves us with the feeling of cresting a hill and being propelled to success.

The Breakaway

The courage to go it alone and breakaway from the pack has filled you simultaneously with exuberance and dread. You know the importance of keeping pace to eke out incremental advantage that will get you to the finish line first.

Visionaries working in isolation. Headwinds produced by current market realities become your tormentor. While the solitude may feel daunting, its often the space necessary for creativity to flourish. Like the determined cyclist, you learn the essence of pushing boundaries into uncharted territory and the reality and strength requisite to face the elements alone.

The Peloton

Proverbially: if you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far, go together. The solo effort of the breakaway is a “sufferfest”. At some point you must scale — the distance to travel is far after-all. Like cyclists in the Peloton working together to conserve energy over a long haul we recognize how team work and collaborative effort is crucial. We band together developers, designers, product people and managers to synchronize our efforts to achieve a common goal. We recognize that individual suffering builds character but collective effort propels success.

The Crash

The steep descent on a winding road. The slight mishap and fail to counter steer just right. Suddenly you’re over the handlebars. Each time it happens the pain ripples through your nerves. The cuts and abrasions eventually heal and you get back on the bike with a newfound resilience and bevy of lessons learned. Sometimes our projects flop, are cancelled or our companies fold. We live and learn to fight another day. We build appreciation for the value of suffering — knowing it too shall pass — and the growth post trauma brings.

Either pain affects the body (which is the body’s problem) or it affects the soul. But the soul can choose not to be affected, preserving its own serenity, its own tranquillity. — VIII. 28

On lessons

Suffering is a great teacher. It refines us through patience, perseverance and the joy of incremental progress. The steep climbs build physical and mental endurance. Grueling problem solving under pressure and constant iteration fosters innovation and tenacity.

It allows us to strip away complacency and foster a deep appreciation for our limits. Once had, the true taste of success can be known.

We learn the value of pacing, endurance and the merits of balancing efforts. How burnout or overtraining may creep up on us and the importance of rest.

We adapt to changing weather and terrain and the constant tide of technologies and market conditions. We build, test, fail and refine.

When we learn to suffer, we learn that it eventually ends. The beauty of finishing what we start.

And that it doesn’t always get worse.