Why You Should CHOOSE Pain

Before you scan below looking for an out, let me be clear. This is not a bait and switch. I’m not peddling a gimmick, and I didn’t write the title to trick you into reading. The title means what it says — that you should actually CHOOSE PAIN.

That said, pain for pain’s sake is pointless. The pain you should move toward will reap some serious rewards. That type of pain can change your perspective on life, your relationships and business, and most importantly, how you view yourself.

If you’re still with me, congrats. You’re about to learn why you should welcome pain into your life and how it can make you a better person.

Transform your instincts

Our natural inclination is to run from pain or anything that could cause pain. Because hurting is never fun. It sucks. Ask anyone the best part of suffering, and most will say that it ends. (More on that later.)

And that’s what you need to keep in mind as you continue to read. Because I’m here to encourage you to suffer in very real ways.

What kind of pain should you seek out? The kind that you don’t normally feel. The pains that someone of your means can easily avoid. I’m talking visceral, physical, emotional, and mental pain.

It starts when you commit to strip away every bit of comfort in your life.

Limit the amount of food you eat.

Disconnect yourself wholesale from technology.

Cut your sleep in half.

Then punish yourself with a new physical activity for hours at a time.

And you can’t just do this for a few hours. You need to do this all day, every day for a week.

For those who are prone to self-harm or self-abuse, that is not what I’m talking about. If you have those tendencies, please seek professional help. The pain I’m aiming you toward has a positive purpose that doesn’t leave lifelong scars. It makes you the person you didn’t know you could be.

Where’s this idea come from?

I’ve spent the better part of the last decade asking myself two questions.

1. What are you really made of?

2. How much can you really do?

When I first started asking this question, I didn’t know the answer. To be honest, I still don’t, because I keep surprising myself. But I’m starting to understand I’ve got more in the tank than anyone — myself included — could have imagined.

A decade ago, I was married and had two great kids. My business was starting to take off, and our days of living paycheck to paycheck were coming to an end. A quick glance at this stat sheet and I thought I was doing okay.

Then I took a deep look at my life and discovered I was leaving a lot on the table. I was limiting my growth and living an unsatisfying life that was miles from my potential. As a result, I was anxious and overwhelmed. Since I didn’t think anyone would understand, I suffered in silence.

But here’s the thing. That’s how most of us live, and we accept that. The vast majority of us are nowhere near our potential. We live normal lives and do enough to get by, but few of us ever find out how far we can go.

When I realized how little I knew about my own potential, when I saw that I’d been living a life built on self-imposed limitations, I had to do something. I had to break out. To at least find out what’s inside me.

That’s when I decided to put myself through my first six-week challenge. Through the whole experience, I went all in on a new physical activity and limited my sleep, food, and comfort.

I was nervous going into the first one, but when I came out, I was impressed. Energized. Stoked to learn just how much more I could endure.

So I did it again. Now, I put myself through these tests on a semi-regular basis, and I grow every time.

What good things pain does for you

Choosing pain is hard to do. Don’t think you mind pain? Answer this: When things are going well, what do you do? Most people keep doing the same thing. Because it feels good. It’s easy. It doesn’t take extra effort. And there’s no risk.

For those who want to leave a lasting legacy or build a business empire, taking risks isn’t dangerous. Living with mediocrity is. Because one look at the most successful people in life and business shows you that being satisfied with mediocrity is the fastest road to being forgotten.

That’s because while it might sound counterintuitive, too much comfort and not enough suffering makes you soft and anxious. I know this because it happened to me.

That softness doesn’t come overnight. It shows up slowly, as you let yourself off the hook, buy into your own hype, and overestimate how good you are.

Here’s the truth: You’re not as good as you think you are. You overestimate your skills and abilities. You sugarcoat most things to make yourself the hero of the story. And while you’re tooting your own horn, someone else is taking risks, suffering pain, and working harder to get the thing you want.

Guess who’s going to reach the goal first? Hint: It ain’t you.

If you really want to know what you’re made of and if you want to protect your relationships, your business, and your legacy, you can. You just have to wake up, take inventory of yourself, and make necessary changes.

Do you know how mentally tough and emotionally resilient you are? Take a week to find out. Challenge yourself to remove all comfort, limit food and sleep, and punish yourself with a new physical activity. In the process, you’ll experience awakenings and growth in self-awareness that transform every aspect of your life.

For those who are ready to make a massive shift in their lives and businesses, there’s no option. It’s the hard road or a dead end. Choose pain and you’ll build your business empire, live the life you desire, and clock out at the end of your life with no regrets.