No One Else Is Coming
You know exactly what scene I’m talking about. It happens about two-thirds of the way through an epic adventure or wartime movie. The main characters have been facing impossible odds, outnumbered, and surrounded by the challenges. They have made a huge gamble and we all wait on pins and needles for it to play out. Just as it looks like their reinforcements are coming, that their salvation is at hand, we are all shocked and horrified that the very thing we placed all our hope in doesn’t come through and what we thought was our last chance to escape is no more.
No one else is coming.
This is the point in the story that we see what these characters are made of. This is the defining moment that makes the movie. This is when, faced with the harshest realities, they realize the only chance they EVER had was found in the resources and people they have in that bunker. Everything that has happened up until this point in the storylines of every character slowly reveals how they’ve been sitting on the solution all along, but the safety net and comfort of an outside rescue had clouded their ability to see that truth clearly.
Last year, the year that shall not be named, was like that for me and a lot of people I know. The bunkers we found ourselves in felt every rumble and reverberation from yet another explosion hitting much closer than was comfortable. Then, almost unanimously, everyone was holding on hope for the same rescue operation to come through and save the day. 2021 was almost here. 2021 was just days away and if we could only hold on, 2021 would arrive with the winning blow and we could “get back to living life.” And now, on Monday the 4th of January 2021 a lot of us are realizing the same thing.
No one else is coming.
2021 arrived and it didn’t change the severity of our situation. 2021 didn’t start with the email outlining the relief we were looking for. 2021 didn’t fix the flaw in our system. 2021 missed its shot firing the proton torpedoes into the exhaust shaft. The Death Star is still fully operational.
So this is the moment in your hero’s journey where you get to decide how the final third of this movie plays out. This is the moment to take the most sobering look at what resources you have in your bunker and pull together your plan to risk it all to make the move you now know you need to make. You’re the only one who can do it. You are the protagonist that makes the move that turns the corner and brings the momentum to your successful conclusion of this epic saga. You are the hero in your story.
“The most dangerous man on earth is the man who has reckoned with his own death. All men die; few men ever really live.”
For me, there is real comfort in knowing precisely what you are dealing with. Having everything else stripped away and knowing that you are the final line of defense is a rare but powerful position to be in.
So what do you do now? Here’s what I’ve done and continue to do when I find myself in these moments.
Awareness - Be aware that that is where you are. Take a hard but quick look and understand with clarity exactly what you are up against.
Reality - Anything that distracts you or gives you comfort that softens the reality of the situation must be avoided.
Resourcefulness > Resources - It is time to get scrappy. You don’t have anything left to lose. Find new avenues. Ask for help from different people. Lean into your creativity and go Kevin Macalsiter on this enemy.
Win or Fail Quick - You don’t have time for a big elaborate plan. See your next three moves on the board and then reassess. Things will change when you start making moves and you need to be ready for them to change again.
Control - At this point, you know how much is out of your control so don’t waste time on woulda, coulda, or shoulda’s. Only focus on the things that you alone can impact and see how their movement impacts other pieces on the playing field.
Hold On - When making your move, know how long it will take to know if it worked and don’t second guess it until then. If you ease up before the breaking point, you’ll never know what could have been.
Jump - After you’ve done everything you can to make the most of your chances, jump and trust yourself to bob and weave with whatever happens next.
So what bunker are you still in? What story are you still living out? How does it feel to know no one is coming and it is all on you?
“If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’”
Every time you find yourself in this place, it is a chance to strengthen this muscle. It is an opportunity to build deeper confidence that there is nothing that can stop you. It is a moment to discover how strong you actually are and that maybe even when things aren’t as dire as they are now, you have what it takes to step up and proactively be your own hero.
No one else is coming. But you have everything you need. Let’s go.