“Feel the burn!”
“No pain, no gain!”
“Embrace the pain!”
These aren’t new concepts. They were probably proclaimed by your gym teacher or coach in high school. And there is much to be said for the tried and true notion that pain is not something to resist or shun, but rather a feeling or sensation that we should gently welcome like an old, grumpy friend. Please know this is not about embracing pain when your joints are screaming or you are dealing with a serious injury. I am talking about the discomfort we feel when we push ourselves to transcend whatever boundaries or hurdles we have setup in our minds. In the simplest of terms, pain and discomfort are a way for our brains to alert the body of a drastic change. Like the change you feel when your whole body is on fire after a bout of burpees. If we hold space for the pain, the burn, the discomfort and detach ourselves from it, rather than identifying with it, growth begins to take hold.
Cheers!
Thrive on,
Coach Jentry