The Unexpected Opportunity Cost - Chapter 4: The Center of the Storm
Chapter 4: The Center of the Storm
The warm March breeze felt like a caress on the soul under the shelter of spring. For Elias, it was a gift; he felt it not only warmed his aching bones but somehow awakened his body and emotions from a long lethargy. Like a bear ending its hibernation, Elias rose from bed, stretching every fiber of his being, feeling the warmth travel through his aging shell.
He stood before the thin ray of sunlight streaming through the crack in his window and enjoyed it as a true gift from the gods. For a few seconds, time stood still; for him, only that tiny fragment of light existed. He set aside his worries and focused on admiring the greatness hidden in smallness, reminding himself that the true value of things lies not in their size, but in their essence, their potential, and above all, in how they are perceived by those who witness their existence. That ray represented the hope of a new day, inviting him to keep playing this game we call life.
After a minute of sacred silence, Elias continued with his duties. He ate a cheese omelet as fluffy as a cloud, a couple of bacon strips, a slice of toast just right, and the coffee that could never be missing. Don Elias paid attention to everything he did; he said the only way to face the passing days is through the small gifts we ensure we give ourselves.
That morning, he headed to his lawyer's office. Upon arrival, he was greeted by a young man with neat hair and the presence of a stalking lion. “Good morning, son,” Don Elias said. “How are you, sir? Good morning,” the young man replied with sharp efficiency. “Don't you remember me?” Elias asked. “I am a friend of your grandfather's. This firm has handled my affairs since the first cent entered my pocket... and many eons have passed.”
“I see. How can I help you?” Elias saw a reflection of his own past in the boy. “You're in a hurry, son. I understand; I was exactly like you once, an ambitious young man... what am I saying, ten times worse.” The young man frowned at the word worse, but before he could reply, an imposing but hunched figure appeared at the door. It was a silhouette cut from the same mold, only worn down by time.
“Elias! Come in, I’ll take care of you,” Aurelio exclaimed. “Aurelio! Haven't you tired of accumulating achievements? Leave something for the youth. Your grandson seems capable of solving everything.”
“His name is Aureliano,” the lawyer clarified. “And yes, he is hungry for success. If I let him, he’d take it all.”
“The rush to pass the height bar to play with the big guys,” Elias sighed. “What he doesn't know,” Aurelio said, “is that there is always a higher bar. The games become fierce battles until one day you invent the rules yourself.”
“An infinite cycle that distracts us from what is free,” Elias replied. “It cost me my family and my health.”
“Oh, Elias! Your ideas are the oldest thing about you. I'm still in the game, facing giants. They all fall! There is no rival for me because I invent the rules.”
“I don't doubt it, Aurelio! I only hope health stays with you.”
“Bah! Who needs health when you have a will of iron? You can force the bones to move.”
Elias smiled sadly. He knew that Aurelio, like his former self, was trapped. After a morning of paperwork and talk, Elias arrived at his Bank of Peace at four in the afternoon. He enjoyed the green buds on the trees, which contrasted with the frantic pace of passersby who ignored the beauty of spring.
In the distance, the boy appeared. His walk was no longer that of a fugitive, but of one who has gained firmness. He had applied the 20-second rule and, with pride, told Elias that the neighborhood grocer had offered him a full-time job. However, the past rarely retreats without one last battle.
“You've arrived just in time,” Elias observed. “Punctuality is the simplest way of saying I respect your time and mine.” The young man did not answer. He sat down and clenched his fists. Three shadows were cast over them: young men with cynical looks, echoes of the life the boy was trying to leave behind. “Look at him,” said the tallest one. “The one who wanted to be a partner is now a bodyguard for an old man. Do they pay you with stories or alms?”
The boy felt the heat rising in his neck. The impulse to use his fists was an uncontrollable tide. He looked at Elias, expecting to see fear, but the old man was watching a sparrow as if the threat were just a change in weather. “Go away,” the boy muttered with rage. “Or what? Are you going to ask Grandpa for permission?”
The boy began to stand up but felt Elias’s hand on his forearm. A light touch, but electric in its serenity. “Son,” Elias said clearly, “a leader is not one who does not feel the storm. It is one who decides to be the center of it, where everything is calm while the wind roars outside”.
If they manage to make you lose your peace, they own you. Who has the power today? You, or their noise?
The boy froze. He remembered the lesson: make the good thing easy. Breathing was the good thing. Hitting them was the easy thing. He decided to force the pause. He counted to twenty. The intruders, disconcerted by the old man's strange authority and the boy's indifference, left with one last insult.
“I felt like I was going to explode,” the boy confessed, trembling.
“That is reactivity, son. Most people are slaves to others' behavior. Leadership requires Mindfulness: the ability to observe the event with attention, reason, and decide when to let it in and when to keep it out. The storm was outside, but you allowed it into your chest. True power is subduing your own impulses.”
The young man reflected. “I thought being strong was not letting anyone mess with you.”
“Being strong is deciding your response. Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom, the one enjoyed by Stoic men. Today you were the architect of your silence. That is personal mastery.”
🚀 Next Steps in Leadership
1. Master the Center of Your Storm
If today’s lesson on Reactivity and Mindfulness resonated with you, remember that leadership begins with self-governance. As psychiatrist Viktor Frankl famously taught (and as Don Elias demonstrates to the young man today), our greatest human freedom is the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances.
Between the stimulus (external noise) and the response (your action), there is a space of freedom. This week, try to identify that space: count to twenty before reacting to an annoying email or an unnecessary provocation. Do not be a slave to others' behavior; be the architect of your own silence.
2. The Mirror of the Soul: Who are you when no one is watching?
Prepare for the next installment. In Chapter 5, the relationship between Don Elias and the boy will take an unexpected turn. Elias will reveal that he knows much more about the young man than he imagines. We will explore how a true leader doesn't just look at a resume but investigates the potential and dignity behind the wounds of the past. Is it possible to respect someone whose record is stained? We will find out in our next meeting at the Bank of Peace.
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4. Additional Reading to Go Deeper
While you wait for the next encounter at the Bank of Peace, you can apply the foundations of Don Elias’s philosophy with these related articles:
🏦 [The Unexpected Opportunity Cost - Chapter 1: The Bank of Peace] – Missed the beginning? Discover the first encounter between Don Elias and the young man, and the lesson on life’s most important investment.
🏛️ [Can You Be Stoic in a Chaotic World?] – Discover the philosophy that allowed the young man to master his impulses when faced with provocation.
🧘 [What Is Stress and How to Manage It?] – Understand the science behind the young man's "internal tide" and how you can use breathing techniques to regain control.
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