Few things in life are as under-rated as legitimate pain.
And yet many of us spend our entire lives in a state of pain avoidance as if any pain whatsoever is somehow evidence of failure.
To be sure, pain is never fun and only a masochist would actually seek it out.
But some types of pain are a necessary part of living in that they serve the essential purpose of teaching us lessons that refine us and leave us better than before.
An example of this is the pain experienced by those who exercise and push themselves beyond the level of sedentary comfort.
It’s a temporary pain, evidenced by sore muscles and burning lungs, but it serves a purpose and the body is stronger for having invited it and endured it.
There is also well-founded pain in the sorrow that follows a realization of wrongdoing and it is what helps inspire the repentant individual to steer a more true course.
Legitimate pain has a purpose and should be distinguished from illegitimate pain.
Avoidance of legitimate pain is a short-sighted mistake in that it robs us of powerful opportunities to grow on numerous levels.
Instead of wearing ourselves out in an effort to avoid pain at all costs, we must distinguish between destructive pain and legitimate but temporary pain that, while unpleasant, ultimately leaves us stronger and wiser than it found us.
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