Experiencing Fully

What if you experienced pain completely and fully because you knew that’s the only way to really deal with it?

Nobody wants to feel pain. Many people avoid pain at all costs. While many kinds of pain are unnecessary, sometimes pain is necessary and inevitable. Being in the game means you will experience it from time to time.

This doesn’t mean you should go doing things that inflict pain on yourself (or others). However, it does mean that when you experience pain, you have the choice to be open. You can let it pass through you like the wind passes over the land or as a storm passes through your town.

Just like you cannot experience joy and ecstasy forever, you cannot trap pain forever (though some of us sure make a good go of it).

Growth is hard. Growth is painful. It means letting go of something when it’s time. However, growth also always means accepting something new—and enlarging your perspective of things.

If you block out pain (by ignoring it or repressing it) you may cheat yourself out of some valuable growth. If you’re feeling pain just to feel pain, that’s one thing and you don’t have to inflict that on yourself. But if the pain you feel is from growing, be open. It will always pass and you’ll be way better off for it and that much more prepared to catch the next wave.