Pushing through pain works only if you have no choice. Let me give an example, a few days ago I got into a slump and doing my pushup, situp, squat, run routine was feeling very burdensome and in fact painful. However, in my mental state – I gave myself no option. There just simply was no option for not doing it. It was going to happen whether I liked it or not.
I pushed through the pain and I came out stronger. This last two days I have been able to run stronger and faster then before – because I forced myself through the pain. My mind and my body had no choice but to accept and adapt to the new reality. When the resistance gets harder then the act of resisting, the mind gives in and you reach another plateau.
This is true in almost everything I am faced with. I have challenges at work, that I am going to perform some consistent repeatable things designed to make everything better. It is not going to work at first, there will be resistance. Lots and lots of resistance. That is ok, I will push forward, giving myself no other options and it will get better. I started trying to meditate, but it really hurts to sit in a certain position because my hip flexibility is horrible. I have done that now for a few weeks in a row. I have given myself NO CHOICE and sure enough a few weeks later, my mind has given up on the notion that I can get out of this and has resigned itself to accepting the fact that yes indeed I can sit on the floor with my legs crossed.
You have NO CHOICE in the matter. You set your aim and you go after it in small increments and keep pushing. The mind, body, spirit will get with the program. All three need to be trained.
Guy Reams (207)
365 Member
