#davesdailychallenge (54): The Darkness and The Light. There is a massive amount of attention on the light. The light consists of many industries involving billions of dollars. The light is the motivation industry. The light is the self-help industry. The light is the what we are surrounded by most of our days; the end result and the awards. I love the light. So do you. You don’t need help with the light. What I’m concerned with is the work that goes on in order to get to the light. I’m interested in the grind, the hustle, and the daily discipline needed to wake up at 4am and hammer on your craft. I get excited about the athlete that trains before the sun rises. I want to hear the story of the writer that continues to write even if the muses don’t speak to them. Tell me of the business owner that spends years building relationships before she ever closes that big sale. The story of the investor that spends months learning everything about that one stock is what matters to me. The teacher that spends an entire school year with children that don’t appreciate their effort only to find out at graduation that a young person is going to college because of their work. That, my friends, is the darkness. The light has yet to shine on those places and it is where the real magic happens. We must make the darkness our friend and our ally. We must be comfortable in its embrace. When we learn to thrive in the unknown and train through the times when no light shines we will, one day, reach the light. The truth though is that nothing worth accomplishing is ever achieved without going through the darkness. The will and determination necessary to practice your craft is what makes it all worth while. Do not quit if you find yourself in this place. You’re right where you belong.