The Pain You Feel Means You’re Alive
Buried under concrete after falling 3 stories and your rescuers must leave you behind because another bomb may go off.
You understand the basis of most of my Sunday Morning Joe’s.
Take a small step forward. To do. To start. To extend ourselves a little bit more.
Today is different. This Sunday, a bit darker.
While I address obstacles that seem to get in the way of our pursuits, rarely do I focus on the source of pain. To get a better understanding of…
The cause of the limp. The source of tears. The reason to lash out. The hiding place of heartache.
It’s not pleasant to pull back the covers on pain. What’s worse? To pretend it’s not there.
Sometimes we take a wide route around the hurt. Strategically enact a few forward-movements to skirt past it, and we are on our way.
When we confront, head on, the cold and uncomfortable place where pain exists we actually honor and acknowledge a valuable place in ourselves. To do otherwise is to cheat our very being.
It takes courage to go at pain with blind trust in yourself. It rarely sounds promising due to the conventional thought patterns we have been fed all of our lives.
But, the thing is, if we don’t confront such pain, where and when will we discover the true resilience that resides in each of us?
This is when you embrace it.
This past week, I came across a recent video from my friend, Amy, one of the last survivors pulled out of the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. Please watch it by clicking HERE or on the image below — it’s an important watch, trust me on this …
Today, Amy flourishes by way of achievement and accomplishment — like completing her first Ironman Triathlon. But do know, each and every time she shatters a milestone, she immediately is on a journey that includes confronting her painful memories.
Be willing to embrace the Amy in you.
Instead of brushing off pain, acknowledge this part of yourself and welcome your painful moments to co-exist with your journey.
It’s an important part of you.
Thank you for the reminder, Amy. Thank you for never living life the same.
With gratitude,
Joe
Hi, I’m Joe, the owner of 5 With Joe Performance Coaching. My clients are leaders, organizations, and teams who utilize my Olympic Gold Medal performance strategies and 40 years of navigating whitewater river rapids to streamline decision making and actions when engaged in complicated river currents of business and life.
The best way to interact with me is though Sunday Morning Joe, my weekly newsletter that explores the art of improving performance, overcoming challenge, and aligning with purpose for Sunday readers in search of more depth and motivation. Subscribe HERE for free.
