“The cure for pain is in the pain.” – Rumi
The world we live in today is a soft place. Political correctness, participation trophies, safe spaces, and all the other inane rules that keep cropping up daily to save people from pain are only making them weak.
It’s no wonder so many students at universities these days are clueless about history or have a slanted view of it. It’s also why obesity is an epidemic, crimes are sky high, and the world seems to be going crazy.
There’s a reason for this – we live in a time where we have all the conveniences we need. Life is much easier now than it was in the sixties.
So nowadays, people manufacture pain to keep themselves sane. They try to get offended by anything and everything and push for change to feel like they’re accomplishing something. They obsess over politics, tweets from 20 years ago, and other irrelevant issues just to feel useful.
Yet, this manufactured pain is insensible and destructive. There are 2 types of pain – one that hurts you, and one that changes you.
Only real pain causes progress. In fact, it is the cure to a lot of the ills in society today.
Pain forces people to change for the better. It pushes us to do whatever it takes to do better, achieve more and live better. It forces us to raise our standards instead of dropping them.
If you’re 80 pounds overweight, real pain will be you hate the way you look and feel. So what do you do?
You start exercising daily and eating clean. In 9-10 months, you’ve shed the weight, lost the pain and in its place, you’ve developed confidence and a sense of achievement. Pain has forced you to change for the better.
These days, morbidly obese people are more concerned with issues such as fat-shaming and having plus-sized models on magazine covers. While such social change is all well and good, what does it do for them?
Nothing.
They’ll always be in pain because they can’t change the world when what they’re truly dissatisfied with is themselves. It’d be easier to shed the stubborn pounds and be healthy rather than constantly worry about what others are saying and thinking about overweight people.
All you can change is yourself… so find what truly hurts you.
- What’s hurting you?
Do you hate your job? Do you hate your bosses, colleagues, the commute to work, etc?
It’s ok to hate it. This is pain. Ask yourself what’s hurting you.
- Write it down
Then write it all down. Maybe you want a bigger house but you can’t afford it based on your current salary. Maybe you want to spend time with your family, but you’re on the road all the time because of work.
Write down whatever hurts you. In this article, let’s assume that money is your biggest issue. The bills, constant rising cost of living, your stagnant salary, rising taxes, and all the other issues are getting on your nerves.
Write down your pain!
- Look at your bank statement
Print out your bank statement. Understand your total net worth. Is it abysmal? Are you embarrassed? Are you scared?
Excellent. Embrace the pain. Print out the statement, make a few copies and stick one in each room so that you’re constantly aware of where you stand.
- Calculate your expenses
Now calculate your total monthly expenses. How does it compare to your salary? Grr… you’re fuming? Good. Just know this, it’s only going to be more expensive 5 years down the road. You’re probably apoplectic by now.
That’s ok.
- Think retirement
At the rate you’re going, will you have enough to retire? What happens if you don’t? Do you trust your government to look after you?
Are you worried? Most people will be. This is pain too.
- How much time do you have?
Now look at how old you are. What? You’re 50?!! Gasp!
Yes, that’s more pain… knowing that you have less time than someone in their twenties.
- Will you engrave mediocrity on your tombstone?
Imagine yourself living till you’re at a ripe old age and knowing that you took the path of least resistance and never really chased your dreams or achieved much in life.
The burden of unfulfilled dreams weighs heavily on you as you sigh at how you frittered away the time and didn’t challenge yourself to become the person you know you deserve to be.
But now it’s too late. Pain, pain… pain.
Here’s the good news – you can change EVERYTHING.
You can learn new skills and be compensated well. You can start a business today that makes you financially free in a couple of years. Anything is possible if you’ll only start.
Look at the pain and let it compel you to take massive action. Aim for big goals and do whatever it takes to achieve them. Develop laser-like focus and hone in on what you truly want.
Ignore the noise of the world that only serves to distract and destroy. Instead, work on your goals and be a producer rather than a consumer. Be a creator rather than a naysayer.
Look at your pain… and tell yourself that enough is enough. Now do what it takes to put and end to the pain. And it will end.
“Pain will leave once it is done teaching you.” – Bruce Lee
