Nature has provided us with the really powerful alert that lets us know we are close to something important – it is called pain. Now a lot of pain, really fast will cause the natural instinct to pull back immediately and avoid the source of the pain. However, some slight pain and discomfort is actually a sign of resistance and that is a key indicator that we are on the right path.
You have a choice when you experience pain and discomfort. You can choose to select the healthy and uncomfortable path and as a consequence grow faster and gain as a reward your long term ambitions OR you can choose the unhealthy and comfortable path and as a consequence gain as your reward temporary pleasure but degradation of your future ambitions.
Gaining some valuable insight in my morning run listening to audio books. This particular insight is powerful. How many times to we shrink from pain, in terms of temporary comfort when if we would have pursued the pain, we would have discovered that it got much easier over time and we would then reap the rewards of the long term gains!?
Take sales as an example. Every sales person is afraid of rejection. They will do everything in their power to avoid the temporary pain of rejection. They will recoil from rapidly, quickly, and as a response almost immediately blame everything around them for the rejection. This is a natural human reaction. The great sales people that I have known, have learned to embrace the pain, understand what it is, accept it and push themselves forward. Eventually they get used to the pain caused by a temporary setback, rejection, or challenge with a client. They get better and better and dealing with this pain until it is really no longer painful. They are now capable of reaching even greater heights, taking on even more risk, extending themselves even further and exposing themselves to potential rejection on a greater scale. The reaction could be to just recoil from the pain of initial rejection and sulk away into other activities and avoid that pain and gain the temporary relief of not having to experience rejection again but the long term ambition of having large, profitable sales wins will elude them.
I have seen this pattern in myself, and others and it applies to almost every area of human experience. Exercise is probably the easiest one. Getting out the door and running is painful and uncomfortable but as you do it more and push against the pain it becomes easier and even becomes enjoyable. To avoid the pain of exercise may give you temporary relief, but you will suffer long term with serious consequences.
So when you feel pain – what do you do? My 365 commitment today includes the concept – to look at my reality and identify my sources of pain and instead of running from them, I am going to embrace them. Pain is good.
Guy Reams (160)
365 Member
