“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!” – Hunter S. Thompson
1. This is a true story.
2. I’m in Cabo for New Years with sloppy Tim, who is so sore from a drunken workout he can’t lift his fork, and convinces his lady friend to feed him his breakfast while cursing me between bites for ever making him exercise.
3. What Tim didn’t / doesn’t / won’t understand is:
The pain is the point.
No pain = no adaptation = no growth.
Which brings us, finally, to the real point of this way-too-indulgent email series:
The same goes for psychological pain.
Psychological (ie. mental, emotional, spiritual) pain makes even the toughest of us tap out early like we’re Tim in a Mexican weight room:
Refusing to feel our feelings, face the truth, or lift the damn fork ourselves.
But, again:
The pain is the point.
Every time we…
…Solve a complex problem, process a sharp emotion, destroy a deeply-held belief, override a dysfunctional habit, face a paralyzing fear, release a hardened trauma, suffer a crushing defeat, endure a challenging life event, or face a bitter truth head-on…
…We add a few more pounds to the psychological bar, force our system to adapt, and, f*ck yes:
We grow.
And in the growth game, not only is pain encouraged, it is the raw material from which your transformation is sourced. *
So yes:
The pain is the point.
Unless, of course, you’re Tim.
Then it’s just an impediment to finishing your beer.
Hope you enjoyed 🙂
– T
P.S. For the complete series (and the more entertaining bits), here’s Part 1 and Part 2.
* Disclaimer: Not talking about masochism here. The point is not to chase pain but to embrace it as it comes — to lift the weight despite the pain, not to use the weight to inflict pain on yourself. Also: no sharp pain, not too much, not too little, common sense, as always, is recommended. Hasta luego.
