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The Pleasure of Pain

Posted By: Randy GageMay 10, 2011

You may think pain is a barricade to success, but it's usually a bridge.

I posted that comment above to my Twitter feed yesterday and got an indignant response from someone demanding if I was joking.  Certainly not.

Not many of us really care for pain.  But so often it serves a purpose for us.  Often it is a wake-up call from the universe, letting us know we have a lesson to learn, or a better path to take.  Sometimes, like in the gym, it’s a catalyst for growth.  In cases like this, pain can be transmuted into pleasure.  I would say most breakthroughs are preceded by pain of some kind.

Then there’s the heart-wrenching pain of lost potential, losing a loved one, or senseless acts of violence.  But even these can provide opportunities for learning and growth.

So how do you respond to pain?  Do you see it as a barricade, or use it as a bridge?

P.S. I arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay today.  What an amazing place!  The pic is what I’m seeing from my hotel room.  It's the Rio de la Plata, which translates as the River of Silver.  It's the name the Spanish gave it when they came here, because of the way it sparkled in the sun.  As you can see, it looks like a sea, since you can't see the other side.  It's the widest river in the world, and it divides Uruguay from Argentina.

-RG

34 comments on “The Pleasure of Pain”

  1. I totally agree. As I posted on http://www.networkmarketingpro.com today; I believe everything is perfect. This might not always seem this way because we are limited in our way of looking at this. All we need is faith. Because if there is one thing I have learned; we need the bad to enjoy the good. And what appears to be bad is a gift that gives us the opportunity to grow. Without whatever seems bad at the time, we cannot reach our full potential. So have faith and stop complaining. Change your complaints in gratitude and your life will never be the same.

  2. Absolutely as a bridge! Just breath deep, and use it as an alert, as a feedback loop, as a training.

    I am currently experiencing mild amounts of pain as I am learning, and developing new skills in a number of areas. But on most days I choose to see that pain as pleasure: pleasure in knowing that I am progressing.

    I like your 51% idea about negative thoughts, I apply it to the amount and quality of pain. Seeing those two qualities reducing in % and approaching the threshold I know that I am getting closer.

  3. Randy,
    I view pain as a sign of personal growth. It's painful because we are stretching and growing in ways that we never had before.

    As much as I don't like it sometimes, it is a necessary part of our development.

    1. Justin, I think so too. But I wonder, is it so just because or because we think so? I hope some of the "advanced" students of prosperity will share their wisdom on this point? Thanks!
      To add: I used to believe in this "absolutely" and indeed had gone through very painful experiences, although mostly chosen by me. And I surely learned and grew from that. But my "less enlightened" girlfriend once responded to this argument of mine by saying "Larissa, it is also possible to grow through being loved." I did not agree and could not have then.
      Now - when I have the choice - I choose to proceed with growth opportunities that are from Love. But I guess since I am not yet over the famous 51% threshold, life seems to throw in some pain for motivation purpose.
      Larissa

      1. I agree with you Larissa. There is too much effort in pushing away the pain. It works much better through love - it a much higher tone that makes it possible to really move forward in stead of using power to not move backwards.That is anyway how I work best 🙂

  4. It is a difficult issue and creates a lot of thinking stuff for me.Pain.I have had so much of it in fact,my whole life was a long pain.Yes,I feel that sometimes.It was some kind of misperception though, that I made up to grow.But still today, I do not understand it.It is a big, big WHY still.Well, I guess,the pain indicates that there is an area of your world where you are not truly yourself.And the pain is the bridge to yourself.And when it is released,you might not even remember how it possibly could exist.When the pain is gone it is really gone.And there you are,bigger and brighter than before.It seemed so hard to break through, but was it really so hard after all?...

  5. I prefer pleasure thank you. Just kidding 🙂 Well, not really kidding! I mean it is obvious we all prefer pleasure, most of us at least. But I do value pain as a signal to listen. I try really hard to listen well because a pain signal will only get louder and louder till you do.

    Lately I've been very externally orientated and haven't had as much time to be with my own thoughts and rest. As a result I've been waking up with pain in my neck and shoulders. Fortunately today I was able to take some inner time for reflection and now the pain is gone.

    I am grateful that I have set up my life in such a way as to have the ability to do that. Now, I just need to work more on setting up me in such a way that I don't need to summon that kind of pain to begin with!

  6. It is said that we humans are motivated in two directions ... toward pleasure and away from pain. Speaking from experience, sometimes focusing on an ounce of the pleasure that you desire can bring a pound of pain when you realize the distance you must travel to attain it. 😉 … However, that pain is meant to be a catalyst. – Truly, nothing in life happens without our participation! As Eric Butterworth once said, “God can only do for you what he can do through you.” … Amen.

    Like anything else in life, we can choose to allow pain to be a springboard for big change or an excuse to play small. It’s up to each of us to decide.

    If you choose to embrace the pain and transform it instead into potential, I promise it can reveal to you magical possibilities that might, in any more subtle form, not have gotten your attention. The Universe is hard at work behind the scenes conjuring up your magnificence ... always. Go get it!

    K

  7. I have come to understand the purposes for pain.
    1. Pain guides us to make right choices.
    2. Pain purifies and strengthens
    3. Pain leads us to depend on God and on others.
    4. Pain inspires change. Joy confirms the right choice.
    I believe most people, and I mean 99% of people, live their entire lives trying to avoid pain, disillusioning themselves into thinking they can, when ultimately pain is required for us to survive. People choose to try to avoid pain by self medicating, eating, drinking, the list is endless as we know. Pain is also God's way of helping us to shed our ego's and reconnect with our authentic selves that we all leave behind as children to take on our illusional lives to fit the roles we choose.

  8. I can't say that I welcome pain with joy and delight. Intellectually, I know it carries the "seed of an equivalent benefit" but here's how I see this phenomena:

    -When there is something we need to address, the universe begins by giving us a Nudge in the right direction.
    -If that doesn't work, it gives us a Push.
    -If we still aren't paying attention, it gives us a Sharp Shove.
    -Finally, if we still don't make any changes, the Universe has no choice but to haul off and give us a powerful Boot in the derriere.
    That hurts!
    But, it often works (sometimes people seem to go on getting booted in the backside for years before they wake up and make changes. Not MOI, of course.)

    Since I prefer pleasure to pain...I stay as alert as possible for the nudges. Slight discomfort is definately my preferred way to Get the Message.

    When I was the recipient of Sharp Shoves...I was always grateful to myself for noticing those before the Universe had to haul off and apply the boot!
    Now, I am grateful to myself for noticing the Nudges. And I will admit...I sometimes need a bit of a Push. I don't like the Pushes; they show up as discomfort. I much prefer discomfort to pain, and The Choice is Mine.

      1. Hi All - Glad you liked that! It really helped me understand why some folks have such messy lives - they are being booted in the pants by a patient and long-loving Universe that really really wants them to be happy & peaceful & successful.
        When I recognized my sore derriere for what it was (thank you, Universe) my life began to change.
        Nowadays, I pay a lot more attention to the small discomforts - the nudge-in-the-ribs - as calls to re-arrange my ideas yet again. She's a process, alrighty.

  9. Hi Randy!

    Well said! Pain is indeed the bridge to rapid change! If we acknowledge in every situation it is our choice on how we react to events! If we choose not to take responsibility then the pain increases until then we change and then the pleasure is abundant and contagious!! You are a Legend!

  10. Let's remember that "pain" or "pleasure" is a judgement. And to be able to judge anything accurately, we would need all data: past, present and future. We have a microscopic amount of data and we judge anyways. Also, "pain" or "pleasure" is very subjective. What's "pain" to one person may not be to many others.

  11. Randy this is a great article! Actually you inspired me to write an article myself. I wrote it at once, otherwice I'll forget about the idea I got. That is a tendency I HAVE HAD (I have learned from you not to confirm negative statements, so I write it in pasttence), not to follow up on my ideas when I get them, so I made a policy to act on them at once or at least make a note of the idea to act on later.
    Thank's 🙂
    Lene

  12. I am a positive person with abundance consciousness and have been doing this kind of stuff for 25 yrs.
    Recently I was broadsided by three shock events that happened in a short space of time. They were damned painful and almost brought me to my knees. It's the first time in 15 yrs that anything like this has happened. They were massive wake up calls and caused me to re-evaluate just about everything (and everyone) in my life.
    It's like being given a fresh start and I am so much stronger for it happening, I also find when stuff like this happens that your spiritual and intuitive awareness rockets too, which is always useful!

  13. When I first heard that all the breakthroughs were preceded by pain, I could not accept it. But then I analyzed all my achievements and yes, they were all preceded by pain or frustration. Now every time I feel pain I perceive it as a signal to take an action and look for opportunities. Such insight helps me to overcome the difficulties I face and to move forward.

  14. Hi Randy,

    that's an interesting, certainly nothing to be angry about or to be considering as a joke. I guess there's good pain and bad pain. Good pain that is supposed to teach us something, good pain that is a sign of growth and bad pain that corresponds to the traits of a martyr. Some people forgot that the times of martyrs is over, I used to be one of them.

    Thanks for sharing your insights.

    Take care

    Oliver

  15. One thing I have learned is to use pain as a wake up call. Pain is usually caused from being off track and losing focus. From another perspective, I sometimes project out 5 to 10 years out into the future, and imagine the pain of what it would be like if I don't "go for it" and go after my goals now. Using pain in this manner gives me a greater sense of urgency.

  16. Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
    Lance Armstrong, Cycling Champion

  17. I disagree. Losing a loved one is a sense of great emotion and love from the soul. We hurt because it's an overwhelming emotion of love. Our soul pours out the greatest love that was always there but never expressed and released all at once. As for those who say we need bad for good, I say that you are programmed by a world that believes that it needs bad to have good. There is a great quote that I'm going to share with you and hope you truly awaken. Here it is: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

  18. I have to say having done a lot of high level sport I was used to pain and got to love it because of the euphoric feeling of well-being afterwards - makes me think of a rainbow - soooo beautiful and they only appear after a storm. Once in London I was driving to Wales and it was pelting with rain and we saw a rainbow in the distance. The energy amongst the passengers was fabulous and all of a sudden we drove through the rainbow - the prism of light flashed through the car - a magical experience.

  19. A master like you shall never die, as you will live forever as energy within our minds and our whole being. Thanks for everything you teach us (me)...

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  • 34 comments on “The Pleasure of Pain”

    1. I totally agree. As I posted on http://www.networkmarketingpro.com today; I believe everything is perfect. This might not always seem this way because we are limited in our way of looking at this. All we need is faith. Because if there is one thing I have learned; we need the bad to enjoy the good. And what appears to be bad is a gift that gives us the opportunity to grow. Without whatever seems bad at the time, we cannot reach our full potential. So have faith and stop complaining. Change your complaints in gratitude and your life will never be the same.

    2. Absolutely as a bridge! Just breath deep, and use it as an alert, as a feedback loop, as a training.

      I am currently experiencing mild amounts of pain as I am learning, and developing new skills in a number of areas. But on most days I choose to see that pain as pleasure: pleasure in knowing that I am progressing.

      I like your 51% idea about negative thoughts, I apply it to the amount and quality of pain. Seeing those two qualities reducing in % and approaching the threshold I know that I am getting closer.

    3. Randy,
      I view pain as a sign of personal growth. It's painful because we are stretching and growing in ways that we never had before.

      As much as I don't like it sometimes, it is a necessary part of our development.

      1. Justin, I think so too. But I wonder, is it so just because or because we think so? I hope some of the "advanced" students of prosperity will share their wisdom on this point? Thanks!
        To add: I used to believe in this "absolutely" and indeed had gone through very painful experiences, although mostly chosen by me. And I surely learned and grew from that. But my "less enlightened" girlfriend once responded to this argument of mine by saying "Larissa, it is also possible to grow through being loved." I did not agree and could not have then.
        Now - when I have the choice - I choose to proceed with growth opportunities that are from Love. But I guess since I am not yet over the famous 51% threshold, life seems to throw in some pain for motivation purpose.
        Larissa

        1. I agree with you Larissa. There is too much effort in pushing away the pain. It works much better through love - it a much higher tone that makes it possible to really move forward in stead of using power to not move backwards.That is anyway how I work best 🙂

    4. It is a difficult issue and creates a lot of thinking stuff for me.Pain.I have had so much of it in fact,my whole life was a long pain.Yes,I feel that sometimes.It was some kind of misperception though, that I made up to grow.But still today, I do not understand it.It is a big, big WHY still.Well, I guess,the pain indicates that there is an area of your world where you are not truly yourself.And the pain is the bridge to yourself.And when it is released,you might not even remember how it possibly could exist.When the pain is gone it is really gone.And there you are,bigger and brighter than before.It seemed so hard to break through, but was it really so hard after all?...

    5. I prefer pleasure thank you. Just kidding 🙂 Well, not really kidding! I mean it is obvious we all prefer pleasure, most of us at least. But I do value pain as a signal to listen. I try really hard to listen well because a pain signal will only get louder and louder till you do.

      Lately I've been very externally orientated and haven't had as much time to be with my own thoughts and rest. As a result I've been waking up with pain in my neck and shoulders. Fortunately today I was able to take some inner time for reflection and now the pain is gone.

      I am grateful that I have set up my life in such a way as to have the ability to do that. Now, I just need to work more on setting up me in such a way that I don't need to summon that kind of pain to begin with!

    6. It is said that we humans are motivated in two directions ... toward pleasure and away from pain. Speaking from experience, sometimes focusing on an ounce of the pleasure that you desire can bring a pound of pain when you realize the distance you must travel to attain it. 😉 … However, that pain is meant to be a catalyst. – Truly, nothing in life happens without our participation! As Eric Butterworth once said, “God can only do for you what he can do through you.” … Amen.

      Like anything else in life, we can choose to allow pain to be a springboard for big change or an excuse to play small. It’s up to each of us to decide.

      If you choose to embrace the pain and transform it instead into potential, I promise it can reveal to you magical possibilities that might, in any more subtle form, not have gotten your attention. The Universe is hard at work behind the scenes conjuring up your magnificence ... always. Go get it!

      K

    7. I have come to understand the purposes for pain.
      1. Pain guides us to make right choices.
      2. Pain purifies and strengthens
      3. Pain leads us to depend on God and on others.
      4. Pain inspires change. Joy confirms the right choice.
      I believe most people, and I mean 99% of people, live their entire lives trying to avoid pain, disillusioning themselves into thinking they can, when ultimately pain is required for us to survive. People choose to try to avoid pain by self medicating, eating, drinking, the list is endless as we know. Pain is also God's way of helping us to shed our ego's and reconnect with our authentic selves that we all leave behind as children to take on our illusional lives to fit the roles we choose.

    8. I can't say that I welcome pain with joy and delight. Intellectually, I know it carries the "seed of an equivalent benefit" but here's how I see this phenomena:

      -When there is something we need to address, the universe begins by giving us a Nudge in the right direction.
      -If that doesn't work, it gives us a Push.
      -If we still aren't paying attention, it gives us a Sharp Shove.
      -Finally, if we still don't make any changes, the Universe has no choice but to haul off and give us a powerful Boot in the derriere.
      That hurts!
      But, it often works (sometimes people seem to go on getting booted in the backside for years before they wake up and make changes. Not MOI, of course.)

      Since I prefer pleasure to pain...I stay as alert as possible for the nudges. Slight discomfort is definately my preferred way to Get the Message.

      When I was the recipient of Sharp Shoves...I was always grateful to myself for noticing those before the Universe had to haul off and apply the boot!
      Now, I am grateful to myself for noticing the Nudges. And I will admit...I sometimes need a bit of a Push. I don't like the Pushes; they show up as discomfort. I much prefer discomfort to pain, and The Choice is Mine.

        1. Hi All - Glad you liked that! It really helped me understand why some folks have such messy lives - they are being booted in the pants by a patient and long-loving Universe that really really wants them to be happy & peaceful & successful.
          When I recognized my sore derriere for what it was (thank you, Universe) my life began to change.
          Nowadays, I pay a lot more attention to the small discomforts - the nudge-in-the-ribs - as calls to re-arrange my ideas yet again. She's a process, alrighty.

    9. Hi Randy!

      Well said! Pain is indeed the bridge to rapid change! If we acknowledge in every situation it is our choice on how we react to events! If we choose not to take responsibility then the pain increases until then we change and then the pleasure is abundant and contagious!! You are a Legend!

    10. Let's remember that "pain" or "pleasure" is a judgement. And to be able to judge anything accurately, we would need all data: past, present and future. We have a microscopic amount of data and we judge anyways. Also, "pain" or "pleasure" is very subjective. What's "pain" to one person may not be to many others.

    11. Randy this is a great article! Actually you inspired me to write an article myself. I wrote it at once, otherwice I'll forget about the idea I got. That is a tendency I HAVE HAD (I have learned from you not to confirm negative statements, so I write it in pasttence), not to follow up on my ideas when I get them, so I made a policy to act on them at once or at least make a note of the idea to act on later.
      Thank's 🙂
      Lene

    12. I am a positive person with abundance consciousness and have been doing this kind of stuff for 25 yrs.
      Recently I was broadsided by three shock events that happened in a short space of time. They were damned painful and almost brought me to my knees. It's the first time in 15 yrs that anything like this has happened. They were massive wake up calls and caused me to re-evaluate just about everything (and everyone) in my life.
      It's like being given a fresh start and I am so much stronger for it happening, I also find when stuff like this happens that your spiritual and intuitive awareness rockets too, which is always useful!

    13. When I first heard that all the breakthroughs were preceded by pain, I could not accept it. But then I analyzed all my achievements and yes, they were all preceded by pain or frustration. Now every time I feel pain I perceive it as a signal to take an action and look for opportunities. Such insight helps me to overcome the difficulties I face and to move forward.

    14. Hi Randy,

      that's an interesting, certainly nothing to be angry about or to be considering as a joke. I guess there's good pain and bad pain. Good pain that is supposed to teach us something, good pain that is a sign of growth and bad pain that corresponds to the traits of a martyr. Some people forgot that the times of martyrs is over, I used to be one of them.

      Thanks for sharing your insights.

      Take care

      Oliver

    15. One thing I have learned is to use pain as a wake up call. Pain is usually caused from being off track and losing focus. From another perspective, I sometimes project out 5 to 10 years out into the future, and imagine the pain of what it would be like if I don't "go for it" and go after my goals now. Using pain in this manner gives me a greater sense of urgency.

    16. Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
      Lance Armstrong, Cycling Champion

    17. I disagree. Losing a loved one is a sense of great emotion and love from the soul. We hurt because it's an overwhelming emotion of love. Our soul pours out the greatest love that was always there but never expressed and released all at once. As for those who say we need bad for good, I say that you are programmed by a world that believes that it needs bad to have good. There is a great quote that I'm going to share with you and hope you truly awaken. Here it is: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

    18. I have to say having done a lot of high level sport I was used to pain and got to love it because of the euphoric feeling of well-being afterwards - makes me think of a rainbow - soooo beautiful and they only appear after a storm. Once in London I was driving to Wales and it was pelting with rain and we saw a rainbow in the distance. The energy amongst the passengers was fabulous and all of a sudden we drove through the rainbow - the prism of light flashed through the car - a magical experience.

    19. A master like you shall never die, as you will live forever as energy within our minds and our whole being. Thanks for everything you teach us (me)...

    Leave a Reply to Larissa Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


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