No Pain - No Gain and other nonsense

Achievement, pain and heroes, some ideas are just ridiculous -

Amy and I have been studying and researching personal development and achievement experts for several months now.

In the process, we have been exposed to many different thought processes regarding change, development and increased effectiveness for us humans.

Some are interesting, some are astonishing and some are ridiculous.

We have been struck by how many times the idea of achievement is framed in terms like "challenging," "heroic," and "unbelievably difficult." Television is full of Navy Seal training and SWAT teams and Delta force whatevers.

It has left us wondering how or why all change has to be presented as an insurmountable challenge overcome only by heroes.

It is a dangerous delusion.

No one has ever been hospitalized for talking to for-sale-by-owners. I have sold real estate for over 37 years and the worst things that ever happened to me could be described as unpleasant, never painful.

When did we all become drama queens?

You know I don't mind us all being drama queens as much as the fact that it leads us to believe that many tasks that we consider extremely painful are simply uncomfortable. And it makes it harder for us to change.

Actually, Amy and I share a belief that important change is small, incremental, largely unnoticed and greatly undervalued. If you eat one whopper more than your normal caloric content for a day, in the course of the year you will gain 91 pounds.

Or lose it if you eat one whopper less than what you should calorically.

Go do something uncomfortable, unnoticed or unheroic today.

Eat some celery, talk to an expired, take a risk, spend 10 minutes changing and evolving in a positive way.

Don't worry. It won’t be as painful as you may think.