PAIN

The hardest part about business and all its ambitions, is the pain you feel when things don’t go as you imagined: Lost customers, bad timing, people issues, missed targets and rejection. We often call this stress, but to my view it’s actually pain. Experiencing this pain makes us angry and upset. Prolonged exposure can consume us and those around us with negative thoughts. It hurts. 

 But pain is not an enemy. 

 The great Ray Dalio likes to talk about pain and how we should actually welcome it as an important signal. A signal directing us to reflect on whatever truth is causing that pain - and then do something about it.  This is true in business and also in life. 

 My experience with pain, in all its forms, is that pain signals the arrival of a lesson. A lesson that demands attention; otherwise further consequences will ensue.  I have yet to experience a situation where this was not true. That being said, when I feel pain, the question for me always comes down to this:

 ...are you ready for the lesson?

 Are you brave enough to admit your mistakes? Are you strong enough to leave your comfort zone? Are you smart enough to understand your blind spot? Are you resilient enough to not be afraid? 

 If you fail to see the lesson and internalize it, any action you take to avoid further pain will probably be ineffective. In fact, you will likely do damage to yourself and possibly others. 

 I admit that hunting for these lessons, reflecting and then doing brave or difficult things each time you experience pain sounds exhausting. Especially when it seems there is an endless parade of painful things out there: in business, relationships, physical pain, the pain of loss etc. But think about the alternative: 

 You can cry about it

You can quit and run away

You can blame others 

You can allow yourself to be destroyed

 These are not real choices for fully formed adults; for people who are accountable and responsible. No one wants to be a person who responds to problems this way.  

 Pain is a natural consequence of being alive and having ambition. Pain is the universe doing you a favour by tapping you on the shoulder and saying, “pay attention because you need to learn something now!”

 When you embrace this idea, pain hurts less. 

The Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt, 1901 

The mural illustrates the human desire for happiness and the struggle with consuming pain in which one contends not only with external evil forces but also with internal weaknesses.