Pain: discipline or regret

My mother (who is a key source of inspiration for me, read all about that here)

Had a poster of this quote on her wall 

Pain:

Discipline

Regret

I don't know who it's by, and I didn't really understand it at the time. In fact, eight year old me was wondering why my mum would want a poster with such mean words on her door and not a poster of something cool, like Hanson or Jonah Lomu.

But now I am older, I'm starting to see why.

Sometimes, being disciplined can be painful. Making myself wake up at 6.15 am to go to boxing class is pretty painful, especially when it's sparring and I actually get punched in the face. 

But not waking up, not being disciplined, is also painful. It's the bitter pain that's regret. Regret doesn't hurt immediately, but after a while, it starts to creep into your heart, into your gut, and you are left wishing you were more determined, disciplined and scratching your head saying "shoulda, woulda, coulda." Regret hurts.

"But what? Why must we choose pain either way? I don't want to be in pain, I just want to live my life", you say!

Well, as research says; it is widely believed that regular exposure to painful stimuli will increase pain tolerance – i.e. increases the ability of the individual to handle pain by becoming more conditioned to it- Navy SEALs are put through the most intense training to prepare them for facing the most dangerous people in the world. At first, it almost kills them, but the ones who survive and graduate from training have a desire so strong that they can teach themselves to deal with the pain or training. Or, spending that little bit of extra time to make your lunch at home might hurt initially, but if your desire to eat healthily and save money is strong enough, you will get used to the "pain."

If they can train themselves to deal with it, so can we. We just have to want it. We just have to choose. 

Here's another one.... 

Sometimes things that bring us external pleasure can bring us internal pain; (eg. gossiping about someone you actually care about because everyone else is, getting really drunk or spending your day on Netflix) can feel good on the outside.... but if you think about it, it might be hurting you on the inside (wasting time, damaging your liver, hurting your friends.)

And things that can bring us external pain (doing a million burpees, saying no to sambucca and stepping up and speaking the truth in a gossip sesh) can bring us internal pleasure (getting strong and healthy, staying true to oneself, etc).

Now I'm not suggesting that by abiding by this mantra/idea/thought process is the only way to live and we should all become massochist perfectionists; I mean, there are times when you can see that the external pleasure (getting really drunk) is not actually going to bring you any internal pain (it's your birthday dammit!) so you do it and enjoy it and reap the consequences joyfully, with no regrets, just like a mother hugging her child that peed it's pants. 

Once again, it's all about making a choice. Looking at the potential reaction of your actions. Taking the time to breathe, focus and look ahead, then breathe, reflect and maybe rethink is something that doesn't cost us any money but can give us so much that's good.

Train your brain to handle the pain that's disciplane. (Discipline.)

Jj