Stage 1, Trial: The immediate aftermath of your life-altering crucible moment, where we are fundamentally changed.

Stage 2, Processing: The necessary step of processing the fallout from a crucible. To move out of this stage, we must recognize and let go of the feelings of anger, hurt, or unfairness that result from the crucible. (At Beyond the Crucible, we sometimes refer to this as the “refining” process.) Not surprisingly, this is where a lot of people get stuck on the journey from trial to triumph.

Stage 3, Vision: Once we are able to process what happened, it’s time to cast a new, post-crucible vision for our life. (At Beyond the Crucible, we believe that the most fulfilling visions are driven by significance — that is, a life on purpose dedicated to serving others.)

Stage 4, Reality: The next stage is focused on creating a real, actionable plan to turn that the new vision for life into our everyday reality.

Stage 5, Triumph: In this final stage, we are on the path to a new, exciting, significant, post-crucible life. We have acknowledged our crucible and the transformational impact it’s had on us. We have moved beyond the hurt to cast a new, meaningful vision for our life. And we’re in the process of turning that new vision into reality.

On a Different Track: These are the 28 percenters — those who don’t acknowledge that they have had a crucible at all. They are in a stuck state, living a kind of lukewarm life due to some unacknowledged or “veiled” crucible. They hold on to sadness or discontent about a vision left behind; maybe it’s a dream lost in the process of “settling down,” or a special talent or passion that, over time, succumbed to life’s demands. Even if we don’t acknowledge them as moments of major trauma or loss, these veiled crucibles are significant points of trajectory shift that have been left unacknowledged or unreconciled, either practically or emotionally. The Different Tracker may be asking themselves, “Is this all there is?” It’s time to recognize their veiled crucible as a crucible moment, resurrect the seeds of that long-held vision or dream, hone it for today, and craft a plan to get on the right track to turn it into reality.

Stuck on the Starting Line: This person is being held back from starting the race by the fallout from their crucible, and they know it. It may have just happened, or it may have been years ago. It doesn’t matter; they have not dealt with it yet. They’re living in the past with their anger and hurt; this is as stuck as it gets. Before they can make anything happen for themselves, they need to face their emotions and start the process of letting go before they can even think casting a new vision for life.

Running in Place: This Runner in Place has accepted their crucible as part of their life and are not really angry about it or hurt by it anymore, but they haven’t hit the “restart” button yet. They have no real vision for their life; they’re just going through the motions and surviving. They need help to take small steps toward finding a new vision — one not defined by what happened in the past that they can get really excited about.

Afraid to Trip: The “Afraid to Trip” person has also accepted their crucible as part of their life and has largely processed through it. What makes them different from the Runner in Place is that they have a strong vision for a new personal future — but they’re cautious about moving ahead with making it a reality. Perhaps they feel once bitten, twice shy. They need the safety, encouragement, and support to move beyond their fear of failure and start running the race toward a new future.

In a Mad Dash: The Mad Dasher is the high performer who had a crucible and has moved on. Here’s the problem: They’ve leapt right over the processing phase and started executing on a new vision without facing the hurt or anger they’re still holding on to. On the outside, they look successful; but inside, they have a niggling feeling they’re being held back in some way. Eventually, those emotions will come roaring up, and they’ll have to “bounce back” to the processing phase to bounce forward for good. It’s better to face those pushed-down emotions head on — before you hit the wall and must.

Hitting Your Stride: The Strider has processed and embraced their crucible; in fact, they may already see it not as something that happened to me,” but as “something that happened for me.” They have experienced breakthroughs, and they are not being held back at all. They have a strong vision of what their life of significance looks like, and they’re acting on it. They are moving forward, reinventing their life, and getting where they need to go.