Pain vs Pleasure

Mark and I attended Unleash the Power Within recently. Tony Robbins and Joseph McClendon III were awesome. So many lessons learned that weekend. So many breakthroughs. I’ve been listening to Tony Robbins in the car almost every day. The lesson today was about Pain vs. Pleasure. We do things to either avoid pain or to seek pleasure. It is in our DNA. Many times we do this on an unconscious level. If the pain of doing something seems greater than the pleasure that may be gained then you will avoid the pain. This happens in all areas of our lives. Relationships, finances, fitness, and impacts even the most simple of decisions. Which line should I stand in at the grocery store? Should I go to the zoo when it is 90 degrees? Should I sign up for a class at school? Should I work out? Should I eat or drink that? Should I ask that person out for a date? Should I look for a new job? Should I text and drive? Should I watch this TV show? Should I type this blog post?

Your decisions shape your destiny.

I can’t tell you home many times I tried and failed at a diet. Why did I quit? Because I associated too much emotional and physical pain with exercising and eating right. The pain of being embarrassed at the gym. The pain of taking time to cook my meals. The pain of missing happy hour to workout. The pain of getting up early. All of this was painful so I avoided it. Then one day I changed. I associated more pain with NOT changing. Now it is more painful for me to not workout and eat right.

Our reality is based on what we focus on at any moment in time. Whatever you focus on is most real to you.
Decide what you are doing today. What are you doing right now and why? Are you doing and not doing these things to avoid pain or gain pleasure? That is the key my friends. When you can link more pleasure and less pain to something that is when the magic happens.

Use pain and pleasure instead of letting pain and pleasure use you!

Change pain into pleasure

Stop letting the fear of pain stop you from living your life. Look for the pleasure and seek it out. Don’t settle for just going through the motions and staying in your little box. Your life is waiting for you on the other side of your fear. The pain you think you will feel is not as bad as the pain you will feel when you look back on your life and you can not change the things you did or didn’t do. Regret sucks. Don’t regret not trying. Don’t regret watching others live their dreams because you were too afraid to take a step forward into fear.

Your decisions shape your destiny. Where is yours now? Where are you headed?