Why Pain?: An Understanding of Pain as a Necessary Part of Personal Growth

Champions expect pain, endure pain, and never complain. ---Unknown

After so many years of studying personal development and thinking that the change I was looking for is going to come from that new book or new audio program, I realized that I was mistaken. The change doesn't come from the audio program or other personal development tools, but rather from how you incorporate the messages of those tools into your life. The message is clear: You will have to decide to change for any sort of program to have any effect on you. So what's the big problem? It is this: People don't like change. They want things to change, but at the same time they are already comfortable with the known so they don't do much about anything because they would rather have the same old known than embrace a new unknown. There is that initial pain that we would all have to go through whenever we welcome any sort of change.

When you go to the gym for the first time, your body may start aching after the first or second day. Your body is changing and along with it comes pain. It is the same case when someone starts on a new business venture. There is that initial pain of rejection, of not knowing what you are doing, of staying up late nights wondering what the outcome of all your efforts are going to be. This initial pain can become a barrier to success if you stop taking action. Sometimes, due to this initial pain, the person stops going to the gym entirely because they don't want to experience that pain anymore, but they are mistaken as to what this pain means.

This pain occurs when you go beyond your comfort zone and this step is absolutely necessary for any positive change to occur. Don't let the pain stop you from moving on. Pain is the sign of improvement. No pain, no gain!

For you to attract something new, you are going to have to become someone new. Jim Rohn always used to say, "Success is what you attract by the person you become." By being who you are right now you have attracted what is in your life. If you want to attract better things, you are going to have to become a better person. This is one of the most important and unbreakable laws of success.

Now in the process of becoming another person it's going to hurt because you are moving beyond what you are normally comfortable with. Your action at this critical moment will decide your outcome. What are you going to do? Are you going to stop now because it's too painful? Or are you going to move on, like the person who continues to go to the gym until there is no more pain? It is your choice.

You will have to realize that the pain is only there initially. Do you go beyond it or do you let it stop you from realizing all that you've ever wanted? The choice is yours. However there is one thing you should know: The minute you decide to continue rather than quit, you begin to attract better things into your life because you are now becoming someone that success is attracted to. Your internal self is being sculpted, in the fire of pain, into a masterpiece that cannot attract anything but the best into your life! Don't let the pain stop you, it is a great sign of improvement. The pain barrier is something every person should cross because on the other side lies the prize of improvement for the person who wants to be fit, and success for the person who dares.

You are becoming a bigger person and your old being is now shedding itself to expose the brand new you! Welcome this change for it is a very small price to pay to get what you have always wanted for yourself. I dare you to take on this challenge to become the best that you can be in order to attract only the best into your life by going through this pain. The question is, "Will you?"

There has never been a great athlete who died not knowing what pain is. ---Bill Bradley

Sukhbir Singh is the creator of LifeApps! Personal Development Institute which is currently running a course called The 9 Doorways to Lasting Change on the LifeApps group at Yahoogroups. He is also the manager of an export business operating out of Bangkok, Thailand. His interest in success came from the study of many personal development books and audio programs that he got exposed to when he was in Sydney for his Masters degree in Business Information Systems.

LifeApps! is currently designing their website and should become active by the end of this year. The purpose will be to offer e-courses that will be developed into public seminars and audio programs. He has recently written a short motivational E-booklet of 20 pages called Success Lessons from the Gym. You can receive the current draft of this E-book by emailing him at [email protected] with the subject heading: SL Request.