Sun Tzu wrote, When in difficult country, do not encamp.

Think about that for a moment. When the terrain is rough, when the road ahead is filled with obstacles, the command is simple: do not stop. Do not pitch your tent. Do not settle into the hardship as though it is your permanent home. Keep moving.

Life will put you in difficult country—times when every step feels heavy, when the ground beneath you is uneven, when you can’t see the horizon clearly. It might be financial struggles, broken relationships, self-doubt, or setbacks that seem to pile on without mercy. And in those moments, the temptation is to camp there, to resign yourself to the struggle as though it defines you. But Sun Tzu warns against it. To encamp in difficult country is to surrender to it.

Instead, you must keep pressing forward. Movement is survival. Progress, no matter how small, is power. Standing still only allows fear, doubt, and despair to harden around you. But when you move—when you take the next step—you break through. You create momentum. You remind yourself that this hardship is temporary ground, not permanent residence.

Ask yourself: where in your life have you pitched a tent in difficult country? Have you let a failure become your identity? Have you let a bad season convince you that it is the only season you’ll ever have? Have you accepted suffering as your address? Because if you have, it’s time to tear down the tent.

When the country is difficult, you don’t need perfection—you need persistence. You don’t need to conquer the entire landscape today—you just need to take the next hill, the next step, the next breath. Sun Tzu’s wisdom is about momentum: keep your forces moving until you find better ground, stronger footing, a position where you can fight and win.

So what does this mean in practice? It means don’t stop working on your health just because it’s hard today. Don’t quit on your dream just because the path is steep right now. Don’t give up on yourself just because the terrain is rough. Difficult country is not meant to break you—it’s meant to shape you, sharpen you, and prepare you for the victory that lies ahead.

When in difficult country, do not encamp. Instead, move forward with resolve. Each step forward weakens the grip of despair. Each small victory proves you are stronger than the terrain. The enemy is not the country—it’s the temptation to give up within it.

So rise up today. Tear down the tent you’ve built in your pain, in your fear, in your excuses. Pack up your courage, gather your strength, and keep walking. The terrain will not always be this hard. Better ground is ahead. Victory is ahead.

But only if you refuse to stop.

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