Pain Is Life's Currency
You can not escape from pain.
This is a fact that you can either accept, or fight. Whichever option you choose will determine where you end up in life. In my opinion, it will also determine how much happiness you experience.
Pain is constantly being traded. Voluntarily or involuntarily, and it is always due.
When you pay for it voluntarily, you mostly keep it away from you. But when you do not choose to pay, thinking you can avoid it, it forces you to pay, sometimes in brutal ways.
Voluntary pain is also usually "good" pain. Pain that leads to self-actualization. Whereas involuntary pain is usually "bad" pain. Pain that comes in the form of regret, depression, etc.
Let's say we have two people.
Person 1 continually volunteers for the pain of a hard workout, and Person 2 runs from that pain. Well, pain is always due, in one way or another. So person 2 will be greeted with the pain of being out of shape, having a body they are not confident in, and in some cases, hating themselves.
Person 1 understands that when you choose pain, you get comfort. Person 2 is unaware that when you choose comfort, pain will still be due. These trades are happening daily. The people that are aware of this structure, have the most fulfilling lives from what I can see. They are the ones that accept pain. They know that you can not outrun it, because it will always catch up to you. Instead, you can volunteer for it, and use it for your long term benefit.
I used to always run away from pain, not understanding how this game works.
I consistently chose comfort and what was easy. It wasn't until later in life that I discovered the people who choose easy end up with a hard life. Whereas the people who choose hard, end up with a much easier life. You need to sacrifice things in life in order to achieve what you want.
It's hard to understand these things as true, until you've gone through the process yourself. Because naturally, we as humans seek comfort. "Why choose to do hard things when I can just be comfortable?". Wrong. You might be more comfortable today, but pain will always come demanding to be paid. This is one of the paradoxes of life. Are you actually more comfortable when you end up with a life full of regret? A body you hate? A job you hate? It's uncomfortable doing the actions required to change these outcomes. Do you see? If you choose to stay in your comfort zone and not do anything about the job you actually hate, well you end up in the most uncomfortable outcome. If you choose to stay in your comfort zone and not exercise, you also end up in the most uncomfortable outcome.
With all of this said, you need to start volunteering for more pain.
Volunteering for the good pain, will keep the bad pain away. When you view it this way, this transaction becomes much easier to take. The people that do not take this transaction do not see it this way, unfortunately.
Here are some examples of both types of pain,
Good pain
Strength training
Running
Sauna
Ice bath
Fasting
Holding yourself to a financial budget
Not giving into the junk food you desire
Not giving into the lust you desire
Quitting the job you hate
Having the hard conversation that needs to be had
Bad pain
Chronic disease
Can't walk upstairs without being out of breath
Can't play with your kids/grandkids
Hate what you see in the mirror
Hate what you see on the scale
Having no money
Brain fog
Low energy
Depression
Wrecking your marriage
Anxiety
Feeling trapped in your job
I know that some of you wouldn't necessarily label some things on this list as "painful". But my hope in putting it this way is that it will spark an awareness for those out there who are totally blind to these transactions.
Sacrifice plays an important role in our lives.
Throughout human history, we can see that sacrifices are constantly rewarded. How many religious texts involve a deep level of sacrifice? We as humans have the ability to negotiate with the future. Give up something you want now, for something so much greater in the future. Isn't this what happens when we hear about people "transforming" their lives? When you hear of someone turning their life around, you're hearing of a sacrifice that is starting to bear fruit. The more sacrifices you make, the better your life will be.
Find comfort in knowing that your sacrifices will one day pay off.
This perspective will give you the required strength to push through in the moment. It gives you hope, something to look forward to that makes the task worth it. I've learned that hope is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. With enough of it, one can push past unthinkable limits. Also, surround yourself with people that have adopted this way of life already. It's difficult to change if your environment is keeping you in the same place. If you want to work with me 1:1 so I can help you transform your life, apply here. Getting away from people that are like crabs in a bucket, is crucial for you to transform. Hopefully this letter will convince you to choose more good pain in your life. Life is suffering, and there is a beauty in the struggle. This is especially the case when the struggle is voluntary as i've mentioned before. You start to operate in the mindset of "Not only do I not mind the struggle, but I will choose it myself."
Life has no other option than to reward you with the good, since you are so unaffected by the pain, that you willingly choose it.
Thanks for reading!
- Savaghn
If you would like a method on overcoming distractions, check out my free "Distraction Assassin" guide below,