Staying in Your Zone of Control: The Art of Enduring the Flat Line

The chart doesn't lie.

Twenty months of what looks like nothing—a flat line stretching from four friends and family members to barely perceptible growth.

Then suddenly, an explosion from 1,000 to 3,500 subscribers in just a few short months.

To the casual observer, it might seem like overnight success.

But those of us who've lived in the flat line know better, especially that downward trend in the middle!

We know that the flat line isn't failure—it's the foundation.

The Hapkido Lesson: Eleven Years to Black Belt

In the summer of 1987, stepping onto the mats at GM Bong Soo Han's hapkido dojang, there was no way to predict it would take eleven years to earn a first-degree black belt.​

In a school where the rare few who made it typically achieved their black belt in 3½ to 4 years, eleven years seems like either dedication or delusion—perhaps both.

But life had its own curriculum:

• Three years paused for an electrical apprenticeship
• Eighteen months of recovery after losing a spleen and getting laid off
• Four years of consistency from 1994 onward, training 6-7 days a week, 3-4 hours per day

Each interruption felt like starting over.

Each return to the mat meant swallowing pride, acknowledging rust, and recommitting to the process.

The other students who started around the same time had long since earned their black belts or quit altogether.

But here's what those eleven years taught:

You can't control the timeline, but you can control the commitment.

The dojang became a laboratory for understanding what you can and cannot control:

• You can't control when you'll get injured
• You CAN control how you recover
• You can't control economic downturns that cost you your job
• You CAN control how you respond to setbacks
• You can't control how fast others progress
• You CAN control your own consistency

The Electrician's Parallel: Getting Beat Up at Work

Running parallel to the martial arts journey was the crucible of union electrical work on big projects.

These weren't just jobs—they were tests of character that often proved more challenging than anything happening on the mat.

Sleepless nights questioning decisions, worrying about crew safety, and figuring out solutions to problems that seemed impossible.

The irony wasn't lost:

Getting beat up more at work than on the training mat.

But both environments taught the same fundamental lesson:

Focus intensely on what you can control and develop the discipline to not waste energy on what you can't.

On a construction site, you learn quickly:

• You can't control the weather, but you can control your preparation for it
• You can't control the client's changing demands, but you can control your adaptability
• You can't control supply chain delays, but you can control your contingency planning
• You can't control other trades' schedules, but you can control your own crew's efficiency
• You can't control unexpected problems, but you can control your problem-solving approach

These lessons forged a mindset that would prove invaluable decades later when building a newsletter from scratch.

The Zone of Control: A Framework for Sanity

The concept of focusing on what you can control isn't new—it's the cornerstone of Stoic philosophy, the foundation of effective leadership, and the secret to maintaining sanity in an unpredictable world.

But knowing it intellectually and living it practically are vastly different things.

Sometimes easier said than done, but that's the ideal you strive for, at work, at home, and in life.

The zone of control operates on three levels:

1. Things You Fully Control

• Your effort and consistency
• Your attitude and mindset
• Your preparation and planning
• Your response to setbacks
• Your learning and growth
• Your integrity and values

2. Things You Can Influence

• Your team's performance through leadership
• Others' perceptions through your actions
• Outcomes through your inputs
• Relationships through your behavior
• Opportunities through your networking
• Results through your strategy

3. Things You Cannot Control

• Other people's choices and reactions
• Market conditions and economic changes
• Natural disasters and unexpected events
• The timing of results
• Other people's success or failure
• The past and much of the future

The professional learns to pour 100% of their energy into level one, thoughtfully engage with level two, and develop peaceful acceptance of level three.

The Newsletter Journey: A Case Study in Endurance

Starting in January of 2024 with four friends and family subscribers feels simultaneously like yesterday and a lifetime ago.

The screenshot of growth tells a story that every entrepreneur, creator, and martial artist knows intimately:

Success looks like a hockey stick from the outside, but feels like an endurance test from the inside.

That flat line from January to August 2024 represents:

• Hundreds of hours learning newsletter platforms and email marketing
• Countless drafts thrown away in search of authentic voice
• Technical failures that felt like personal failures
• Weeks of silence from an audience that barely existed
• Self-doubt that whispered "maybe you're not cut out for this"

But here's what the flat line also represents:

• Skill development that was invisible but essential
• Character building that would prove crucial later
• System creation that would scale when growth arrived
• Voice finding that would resonate with the right people
• Persistence practice that became second nature

The Primordial Force: Resistance with a Capital "R"

​Steven Pressfield's concept of Resistance—that primordial force opposing all creative and courageous endeavors—explains the flat line better than any marketing theory.

Resistance doesn't show up as external obstacles (though those exist too).

Resistance shows up as:

• Perfectionism that prevents you from publishing
• Comparison that makes everyone else's journey look easier
• Imposter syndrome that questions your right to have opinions
• Distraction that pulls you toward easier, less meaningful work
• Procrastination that disguises itself as "research" or "planning"
• Fear that masquerades as rational concern

The flat line isn't evidence that you're doing something wrong—it's evidence that you're doing something important enough for Resistance to mobilize against.

The Black Belt Principle: 1001 Times Getting Up

This saying captures the essence of the zone of control philosophy.

You can't control:

• How many times you'll get thrown down
• How hard you'll hit the ground
• How long recovery will take
• Whether others will witness your failures

But you can absolutely control:

• Whether you get back up
• How quickly you return to training
• What you learn from each fall
• Your commitment to continuing

The newsletter growth from 1,000 to 3,500+ in a few months wasn't magic—it was the compound effect of hundreds of decisions to get back up during the flat line period.

Every article published despite low readership, every technical problem solved despite frustration, every week of consistency despite invisible progress.

The Warrior's Path: Expecting Resistance

If you're struggling right now, good!

You're on the path.

This isn't motivational platitude—it's recognition of how real growth works.

Easy paths don't build character.

Comfortable challenges don't create competence.

The struggle isn't a sign you're doing something wrong; it's evidence you're doing something worthwhile.

When you put yourself out there as a warrior and leader, you will face Resistance.

It's not a possibility—it's a guarantee.

The question isn't whether you'll encounter setbacks, technical problems, self-doubt, and periods of invisible progress.

The question is:

How will you respond when they arrive?

Practical Strategies for Staying in Your Zone

1. Daily Control Inventory

Each morning, identify:

• Three things you can control today
• One thing you're worried about that you can't control
• How you'll redirect that worried energy toward controllable actions

2. The Process Focus

Instead of obsessing over results, focus on:

• Input metrics (hours written, articles published, skills practiced)
• Learning metrics (mistakes analyzed, feedback incorporated, improvements made)
• Character metrics (consistency maintained, values upheld, growth mindset demonstrated)

3. The Flat Line Reframe

When progress feels invisible:

• Remember that skill development often happens before results show
• Document your learning and growth, not just your metrics
• Celebrate consistency as much as breakthrough moments
• Trust that compound interest applies to more than money

4. The Resistance Recognition

Learn to identify Resistance in its various forms:

• Perfectionism disguised as high standards
• Research disguised as productive work
• Networking disguised as relationship building
• Planning disguised as strategic thinking

When you recognize Resistance, don't fight it—acknowledge it and then do the work anyway.

The Financial and Physical Recovery: A Master Class

My 6-month period recovering from losing a spleen and after that, dealing with a three-month layoff represents the ultimate test of my zone-of-control thinking.

Talk about a 1-2 combination that almost knocked me out.

During this period, I couldn't control:

• Medical complications and recovery timeline
• Employer decisions and economic conditions
• Insurance complications and medical bills
• The physical and emotional toll of trauma

But I could control:

• My commitment to recovery protocols
• My financial discipline during uncertainty
• My long-term perspective despite short-term pain
• My decision to return to training when I was able to
• My determination to not let setbacks define me

That 6-month experience taught me that sometimes the zone of control shrinks to almost nothing—and that's exactly when focusing on it becomes most crucial.

When everything feels out of control, identifying the few things you can influence becomes a lifeline.

It took me 18 months to heal and recover physically, mentally, emotionally and financially before I was able to return to the mat.

But return I did, to the surprise of many of my fellow students and even some of the instructors.

The Compound Effect: Why the Flat Line Matters

The explosion from 1,000 to 3,500+ subscribers didn't happen because of magical algorithm changes or viral content.

It happened because the flat line period built:

Foundation Skills:

• Technical competence that could handle growth
• Content quality that could attract the right audience
• Systems and processes that could scale
• Voice and perspective that could resonate

Character Traits:

• Persistence through invisible progress
• Commitment despite external validation
• Focus on process over outcome
• Resilience in the face of setbacks

Compound Interest:

• Each article built writing skill
• Each technical problem solved built capability
• Each week of consistency built credibility
• Each person who subscribed became potential word-of-mouth marketing

The growth phase wasn't separate from the flat line phase—it was the inevitable result of what was built during the flat line.

The 6-7 Days, 3-4 Hours Principle

Returning to training in 1994 and maintaining a schedule of 6-7 days a week, 3-4 hours per day for four years represents the ultimate expression of zone-of-control thinking.

This level of consistency requires:

Daily Recommitment:

• Choosing training over comfort every single day
• Prioritizing long-term goals over short-term convenience
• Maintaining focus despite slow progress
• Building systems that support consistency

Process Obsession:

• Focusing on the quality of each training session
• Measuring improvement in small increments
• Celebrating consistency as much as breakthrough moments
• Learning from every mistake and setback

Identity Alignment:

• Becoming someone who trains, not someone who occasionally trains
• Making decisions from the identity of a martial artist​
• Aligning daily actions with long-term vision
• Accepting that this is simply who you are now

The Leadership Lesson: Staying the Course

Whether leading an electrical crew through complex projects or building a newsletter audience from scratch, the principle remains the same:

Leaders focus on what they can control and model that focus for others.

This means:

• Taking responsibility for everything in your sphere of influence
• Accepting reality of everything outside your control
• Communicating clearly about what the team can and cannot affect
• Maintaining optimism based on controllable factors, not wishful thinking
• Building systems that maximize your zone of control

The Beautiful Struggle: Embracing the Path

The chart with its long flat line followed by exponential growth isn't just a newsletter metric—it's a metaphor for every worthwhile endeavor.

Whether it's eleven years to black belt, four years of intensive training, or twenty months of building an audience, the pattern remains consistent:

1. Initial enthusiasm meets reality
2. The flat line period tests commitment
3. ​Resistance mobilizes against your efforts
4. Consistency builds invisible foundation
5. Compound interest creates visible results
6. Growth accelerates based on previous work

The beauty isn't in the growth curve—it's in the character developed during the flat line.

The subscribers, the black belt, the electrical expertise—these are byproducts.

The real product is who you become in the pursuit.

Conclusion: The Warrior's Acceptance

You can't control what you can't control.

This simple truth, lived consistently, becomes a superpower.

It frees you from wasting energy on external validation, timing, other people's choices, and circumstances beyond your influence.

Instead, it allows you to pour all your energy into effort, attitude, consistency, learning, and growth.

The flat line will come.

In your martial arts journey, your career, your creative pursuits, your relationships—periods of invisible progress are inevitable.

The question isn't whether you'll face them, but how you'll respond when you do.

• Will you quit when the growth isn't obvious?
• Will you change course when results don't match timelines?
• Will you give up when others seem to progress faster?

Or will you stay in your zone of control, focus on what you can influence, and trust that compound interest applies to more than money—it applies to skill, character, relationships, and impact?

If you're struggling right now, good! You're on the path. And we're right there with you.

The flat line isn't the problem—it's the solution.

It's where character gets built, skills get developed, and the foundation gets laid for everything that follows.

​Embrace it, endure it, and most importantly, don't quit during it.​

Because the black belt, the breakthrough, the transformation—they're all waiting on the other side of your willingness to get back up one more time than you get knocked down.