Choosing your pain

Years ago one of the main mentors in my life spoke about choosing your pain. He explained it more eloquently than I can, but basically the principle is that pain is inevitable, but in most cases we have the freedom to choose what pain we experience.

For example, we can choose to endure the pain of sticking to a healthy diet and lifestyle, or we end up having to deal with the pain that comes along with not being healthy, whether that means low energy, anxiety, excess weight, or even disease.

Another simple, real life example is choosing the pain of doing yet another load of laundry, or dealing with the pain of not having the choice to wear your favorite shirt when you want because it’s still dirty.

Or, going through the pain of decluttering and organizing your space so that you don’t have to experience the pain and frustration of not being able to quickly find what you need when you’re trying to rush out the door on time.

There are obviously countless examples, but you get the point.

Sometimes the really tough ones are when it involves something deeper. Like choosing the pain of seeming like you don’t care and letting your friend down by telling them “no” because you don’t want the pain of not prioritizing your family. For this example, you know that meeting this person’s expectations of you wouldn’t leave you with enough time or energy to serve your family well.

If your family is your priority, your decisions should reflect that even when it’s painful.

Choosing the path of least resistance or immediate gratification is an innate response. On top of that, the majority of the marketing in our culture is constantly strengthening these responses in an attempt to convince you to buy their product.

But, a lot of the time, the pain worth choosing is the temporary pain now that’s necessary to reach the end result you want in the future.

While this may feel like a negative lesson because we’re focusing on pain, it’s actually an empowering one.

You have the choice!

Saying “no” to your friend allows you to say “yes” to your family.

You can’t avoid pain all together, but you can choose to experience the pain that’s worthwhile and ends in the results or rewards you really value.