Willing

What problem are you ready to solve?

Life is full of pain points. Some are small annoyances, others are heavier. We love trying to avoid them. We distract ourselves, numb ourselves, or hope someone else will take care of them. The reality is that they never go away unless we address them and often the quality of your life is shaped by the problems you’re willing to face, to rip the band aid off.

Pain points show up in many area of life. In training, it’s fatigue, injury or a lack of motivation. In work, it’s stress, conflict, or never having enough hours in the day. In relationships, it’s miscommunication, unmet expectations, or distance. In yourself, it’s fear, self-doubt, or lack of clarity.

You cannot escape pain points. They are part of being alive. What you can do though is choose the relationship that you have with them. It’s easy to hide.

The hiding prolongs the pain, temporarily numbing it but not always. We must be willing to tackle the difficult situations, to sit in temporary discomfort. By doing so you change and when you change the pain dissipates. 

Be smart though, do not think you will solve everything all at once. You can’t. You shouldn’t. Life is beautiful and it is filled with infinite challenges. Ultra endurance events has taught me this time and time again. It is an amazing training ground. Some days during my 30 marathons in 30 days I would have pain in a certain part of my legs, the next day it would be in a totally different place. No reason, no explanation. Just another challenge on the way to completing the challenge.

The key question is: What problem am I ready and willing to solve right now?

Is it the problem of poor health? Then commit to training and eating better.
Is it the problem of lack of focus? Then cut distractions and practice presence.
Is it the problem of unfulfilled work? Then take the risk of change.

By naming the problem and choosing to face it, you take back agency. You stop being a victim of pain points and start using them as fuel.

But remember you will not solve all of your issues in one day. Start with what’s in front of you., the easier stuff. Get good at fixing things, it is a trainable skill.

Pain is part of life, it will always exist in some way. The key is having the skill set to identify the pain point and be willing to face them. Be willing to train the skill of facing them and be happy that each time you do you become freer. 

Back to the start. What problem are you ready to solve? Start there.

No Weakness.
Marcus