Pain or Power?

There is a moment in every workout when you feel some pain—you might feel a slight twinge in a muscle, your quads might be telling you to just stop it already, or your shoulders might be screaming, “Why are you doing this to us?!?” This is the moment when you get to make a decision.

Are you going to give in to the pain, or are you going to make the pain a source of power?

Pain or power—which will it be?

If I am being honest, many more times than I care to admit, I have given in to the pain and cut it short. I always regret it later.

Most of the time, it is not my body that could not handle the pain—it was my mind. I had a decision to make, and I made the decision to give in to the pain, instead of using the pain as a source of power.

We do this all the time in other areas of our lives, too. It is easier to give in to the pain of a dead-end job than it is to use our discontent to fuel the power needed to make a change. It is easier to stay in a relationship where painful things are said, rather than gather the strength we need to step into our power and make a change.

Here is a little secret. No matter what situation you are facing, it does not get any easier to choose power over pain—you just get stronger every time you make that choice.

Your pain can become your power.

Think back to your 10-year-old self and the pain you experienced then. Have you since used that pain to become powerful? Have you used it to serve others?

The successful people I know are able to answer yes to that question. They have taken what was once painful and used it as a source of power. You can, too.

Decide today to make your pain your power.

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