No pain no gain
By Mike Ashworth | April 20, 2010
I was talking with someone earlier today about the self protection class I attended last night. I was explaining that the classes are tough and designed to stretch us as we learn new skills.
Last night we focussed on kicking. I picked up a few bruises, a little bit of lower back discomfort and shredded the skin off the underneath of one of my big toes (pivoting barefoot on an unforgiving floor is gonna do that kind of thing).
My friend exclaimed “no pain, no gain eh?”. And its true, picking up some physical marks etc is a small price to pay for the skills I am learning and the changes I am undergoing. These injuries will disappear, probably to be replaced by different ones as I continue my learning. Thankfully, the human body, if well looked after, is very good at repairing itself.
However there is a different kind of pain that often never seems to go away. The Psychological, rather than physical one. The fears, the anxiety, that seem to come from nowhere, holding us back from becoming the most remarkable person we can be.
Sometimes it appears easier to continue on the same path and make no changes. However the pain that will continue because you dont make that change will far outweigh the pain of turning towards that which you fear and challenging it.
Don’t underestimate the power that these non physical forces can have, in many ways they are a thousand times more debilitating than any injury you may pick up.
So, take a good hard look at that pain you may be suffering from, it’s there for a reason, understand why it continues to cause you discomfort, and challenge it.
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