As humans, we’re far from perfect. Many of us are intimidated by those imperfections that hold us back and we give way to them. Others fight them until they become less imperfect. This blog is about revealing the biggest one we ALL face and doing our best to eradicate it.
Any ideas what it might be yet?
It’s our negative relationship with suffering and pain.
As a species, we’re motivated to seek comfort. Suffering and pain isn’t what we want to endure, and so we go to all lengths to avoid it.
We take the easier path. Avoid the harder career path. Put off starting THAT business.
Adversity. Pain. Fear. Stress. Suffering. Struggle. Anxiety.
No one looks at these as positive words. And that is the biggest problem with the human condition.
That’s why we need to learn to enjoy the suffering, or “suffer well.”
I had the pleasure of speaking to Akshay Nanavati on my podcast recently. You can listen to the podcast here.
Akshay is a United States Marine veteran, speaker, entrepreneur, ultra runner and author, who suffered extreme anxiety and PTSD after serving in Iraq.
This led Akshay to alcoholism and depression before he realised he was on the brink of suicide.
“If you learn how to smile in the face of suffering, inevitably your life is going to be more blissful. You’re going to experience greater meaning, greater joy, greater purpose on the journey — because it doesn’t matter whether life punches you in the face”, he said.
Something I’ve learned about during my journey is that it’s critical to enjoy the struggle, because ultimately, it’s not about the result. It’s not about building a business that makes millions of dollars, it’s about the journey that gets you there. And wow how important it is to love the experience!
We all have to find what gives us meaning, what gives us a fulfilling and purposeful life.
And the path to doing that is developing a positive relationship with the suffering and the pain.
And then everything becomes more enjoyable.
So seek out discomfort and pain. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
You’ll then find yourself primed for the obstacles life has to offer.