Epilogue: Horse Stance
In brief
A sifu once told me that practicing the horse stance never gets easier — you just learn to do it longer. That is the shape of most worthwhile discipline. The hard thing does not relent. You just persist longer than the last time you had to endure it. Be selective about which hard things you choose. Make sure they are worth the leg shakes.
Epilogue: Horse Stance
I have been blessed by, and I sacrificed to get to, having had excellent mentors over the years. One of the many sifus in my life said something that struck deep and stuck hard. He said, almost verbatim:
"Practicing the horse stance never gets easier — you just learn to do it longer."
These are words for life.
There is so much shit that comes in like that. Be selective in these areas. Enduring the leg shakes and the negative self-talk, and all that comes with a painful persistence — that is the shit of practicing horse stance. The rewards for enduring that shit: a strong striking foundation, a willpower to overcome pain in pursuit of aspiration, and strong legs for kicking and shifting stance.
If you need that plumbing contractor's license, or need to attend that small business administration bootcamp, or need to sign up for canning and jarring classes at the learning annex — those are some of the horse stances required to achieve your goals. And that's its own kind of shit.
When the truly taxing challenges come along, you don't have to endure the shit forever. You just have to persist longer than the last time you had to take shit.
You'll hear the collective wisdom of others as they give a shit about this or that.
If you're going to fly with the eagles, make sure you're as close to the sun as possible, because the shit increases exponentially as you approach the flat spaces.
The amount of shit you have to take is proportional to how many shit birds there are above you.
Shit Happens.
Common questions
What does horse stance have to do with real life?
The horse stance is a metaphor for any discipline that demands painful persistence before it yields results. The leg shakes, the negative self-talk — that is the cost of building a foundation. You choose which foundations are worth building.
Does hard work ever get easier?
Not exactly. As one sifu put it, almost verbatim: 'Practicing the horse stance never gets easier — you just learn to do it longer.' The work does not soften. Your capacity to endure it grows.
How do you push through painful persistence?
You don't have to endure the shit forever. You just have to persist longer than the last time you had to take shit. That is the only bar. Beat your last mark.
What kinds of hard things are worth enduring?
Be selective. A contractor's license, a small business bootcamp, canning classes — these are the horse stances required to achieve your goals. Not everything deserves your endurance. Choose what earns it.
What are the rewards of enduring difficult discipline?
The rewards for enduring that shit: a strong striking foundation, a willpower to overcome pain in pursuit of aspiration, and strong legs for kicking and shifting stance. The foundation you build is the payoff.
Takeaways
- Practicing the horse stance never gets easier — you just learn to do it longer. That applies to most things worth doing.
- Be selective about which painful disciplines you take on. Not every difficulty deserves your persistence.
- You don't have to endure the hard thing forever — only longer than you did the last time it came for you.
- The rewards of endurance are concrete: a stronger foundation, developed willpower, and the capacity to move when it counts.
- Collective wisdom confirms it plainly: shit happens, the amount increases the higher you go, and proximity to what matters invites more resistance.
F. Tronboll III
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