On the Plateau part 1

We probably all know the pattern. We start to learn something and seem to be doing really well at first. Then, without warning, everything seems to slow down. Where a few days previously, change seemed to be an everyday thing; today progress is slow and even taking another step forward is tiring.

Or what about building a relationship? Maybe initially it seemed to be incredibly exciting. Every time you talked, you learned something new about each other. Time together was terrific. You always had something new to discuss, some new topic to explore. Today, you seem trapped in the same old things and it feels like you just aren't getting anywhere.

What about at work? You first start then job and it feels amazing. You feel like you are getting better at it everyday. Your boss is praising you for pretty much everything you do. One day, it all seems to stop. That task you loved is now a chore. Your boss seems to have forgotten you exist and promotion seems to be a long way off.

What's going on?

I believe that there are points in our life for everything we learn, every relationship we build and every task we do where we seem to be standing on a plateau. What's a plateau? Well, mountain climbers tell us that few mountains are continual steep climbs. Instead, most of them involve climbing steeply for a while before you reach a flatter point in the mountain. It might look like the peak from below but it isn't. It is simply another part you have to negotiate on the way.

Plateaus in the rest of life are like that. They are the points where we slowdown after making quick progress. They are the times when it feels like we are doing everything right but nothing else seems to be moving.

Although I believe there are two distinct types of plateaus: those we make ourselves and those God makes, part of out attitude to them should be the same. We need to recognise that they are perfectly natural.

I have never met anyone whose enthusiasm is always 100% consistent. Likewise, I have never met anyone whose results are constantly improving quickly. Often, until we recognise that plateaus happen to everyone, we can get incredibly discouraged and beat ourselves up, causing a further drop in motivation and, ironically, extending the length of the plateau. Either that or we pretend it isn't happening and, by fooling ourselves, are unable to adjust.

Imagine a mountain climber gripping tightly to a completely horizontal part of the mountain, feverishly finding footholds and hand grips. He lies on his front and breathes deeply, thinking so carefully about his next move. His porter, meanwhile, grateful of the break, dances happily across the plateau to the next ascent.

Silly, isn't it? One has accepted he is on a plateau and adjusted his walk accordingly; the other is pretending it doesn't exist. So you see why it is so necessary to recognise plateaus and change your ways slightly.

In the next two posts I will talk about man-made plateaus (in the Jerusalem after the exile) and God-made plateaus (in the life of Joseph). But one more piece of advice is common to both. Never, ever give up. Keep on going. One day soon, the plateau will be finished and you will feel like you are making progress again.

Until then,

Jonathan