There Are Two Kinds of Pain in This World
There's no such thing as a life free from pain.
Sleeping in, going to the same 'easy' job day in day out and retiring on the couch each evening with thousands of calories of comfort food may sound fairly pain-free but it's quite the opposite.
Years later you realize you wasted the most precious commodity you have...
Time.
No matter how hard you work from that realization forward the hard truth remains.
That time is gone.
You're left with the pain of regret, knowing you could've done more if you applied a little bit of self-discipline.
If the thought of the above scenario becoming a reality scares you then you better be willing to subject yourself to pain in order to avoid this nightmare.
It's only through doing both the physically and mentally taxing and painful work today (the pain that alters you) that you can break free from the comfort and inevitable regret that far too many individuals find themselves stewing over later.
The Pain That Hurts You - The Pain of Regret
The pain of regret is the feeling after you've cheated on your diet and eaten an iced donut instead of a bowl of protein oats.
The pain of regret is the feeling after you've snoozed your alarm 3 times and realise you should've just got up and gone to the gym after the first alarm.
The pain of regret is spending your money on unnecessry material possessions and looking at the mountain of debt you've accrued.
Our mind will try and convince us all of these things are the right decision to make in the moment because they're the EASY decision.
It's easier to experience the dopamine release of good tasting food, it's easier to stay in the comfort of a warm bed than it is to get to the gym on a freezing cold morning, it's easier to spend money than it is to save it...
But the regret will creep in, it always does.
The Pain That Alters You - Self-Inflicted Discipline!
There’s never a time that you’re presented with the enjoyment of the result before the expenditure of effort and pain.
Patiently grind away at your craft, whether this is your body or a business the exact same principles apply.
Stop looking at the clock.
Remain consistent and put in the work every single day (weekends off are for employees, you’re the boss of this operation).
Enjoy the process, small notches of process are the best motivator to keep forging your path forward towards your goal.
"But SJ, it takes YEARS to do anything worthwhile!!!"
Five years may seem like a long time.
But those that become discouraged, overwhelmed and decide to not pursue their goals forget one important point.
You could be standing on a podium with your hand raised victoriously five years from now with your Men’s Physique trophy in your hand.
You could be laying on an island in the Caribbean five years from now without a financial care in the world.
These are both possibilities, you’ve just got to get off your ass and put in the work first.
Father time waits for no man, he doesn’t care whether you decide to take action or not, all he does is continue on his journey in one direction.
Where you are in five years is up to you.
If you allow the thought of how long extraordinary achievement takes and choose to do nothing you’re going to remain in the exact same place you are in five years time, but you'll be joined by the pain of regret due to inaction.
