Dig your way out

We all want growth, don’t we? Isn’t growth the ultimate goal? On some level, I think we all want to evolve into the best version of ourselves, into the potential that we know lives inside of us. We want the chiseled hot body, the dream job and to make serious, hefty bank. To become smarter, better, and faster. It seems easy in our heads because all we have to do is {boop} imagine it and it’s seemingly real. 

 
The bummer of reality is that, inevitably, growth equals pain. Like, REAL pain. Sucky, hurty pain (like doing tricep dips or getting into bhujapidasana). Discomfort (grinding long and hard hours). Sacrifice (summoning the strength to resist Netflix, not going out with your friends, going to bed early or giving up alcohol). Letting go (of toxic people, foods that no longer work for you). Confusion (duh). We’re SO tempted to take the easy way out; to give up, throw in the towel, burn all of our study materials in a bonfire, curse ourselves for ever wanting to do anything hard ever or eat two jars of peanut butter with brownies and milk on the couch. 
 
Because of the pain, many of us resist it. Much of the time, I do, too. That’s why so few actually have the gumption to follow through on the things they (OH SO BADLY) want for themselves and live a life in line with the deepest yearnings of their hearts. Only you know what that really is. Many-a-time, we reach a certain point in our lives, disappointed that we aren’t where we want to be, that we didn’t work as hard on something as we “should” have, that we weren’t true to ourselves. Regret fills in. All because we didn’t believe we could take the pain.
 
The truth is, we don’t want pain because we associate it as “bad”. We’re clouded with thoughts like, “this hurts, this sucks, there’s an easier way, so I won’t do the hard thing. I’ll just stay here in my cozy space, even if it means giving up on what I truly want.” What a ginormous crock of poop. Seriously, we’re going to give up because things are HARD? We can do better. We deserve better. 
 
What if we associated pain as fuel for growth? As an opportunity to get better, to get what we REALLY want? Because the things we really want don’t happen overnight. They are the accumulation of the discipline of doing things day in and day out, for YEARS. Ultimately, and hopefully, it’ll be the rest of your life
 
What if we chose to dig into the pain? To fight through it instead of resisting it? I’ve learned that with everything that’s uncomfortable, it ceases to be uncomfortable the second we choose to lean into it fully. It’s almost like showing it your power makes it scurry away. This is also true with feelings that are uncomfortable. Feeling sad, shameful, angsty, bored? Dig in. Dig deeper. Get into it, for real. Go as far as you can. Show it who’s boss. Get curious. Shift your thinking about it. 
 
Sometimes I’m in a really bad mind-space, but then I do something inherently painful like exercise. Like this morning, when I was doing some incline work on a treadmill and I pretty much wanted to cut my legs off. When I lean into the pain instead of stuff it down or try to make it go away or resist it, it dissipates. It has nothing on me. The key is to be willing to see it for what it is: a fallacy, something that we are habitually inclined to think is terrible. In truth, it’s your way out. 
 
When we think we can’t, when we’re about to give up, when the pain is too real, know you’re about to get on the other side if you stay with yourself. Get your shovel out, and dig.

Leave a Reply

  1. Santiago Pardo says:

    Hey sweetheart it is so true what you are saying.
    When you run and you get cramps or feel that you can not make your first reaction is to stop and take break.
    If you continue you forget about the pain and feel better at the end with a great sense of accomplishment.
    Love Dad

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