Pain – Learning’s Accelerator

Pain is one of those things most of us try to avoid because quite frankly, it’s painful.  But when we decide to trek away from pain, are we losing an opportunity?  You see pain is an ancient signal for learning.  Before the modern age, pain was the surest way to experience failure and learn from it.  While most of us no longer have to endure physical pain to learn life’s lessons, we view emotional pain with the same hesitation.

To understand this point, think back to your childhood.  Many of us learned the painful lesson not to touch a hot stove or some other harmful situation by personally experiencing it.  No matter how often our parents and others may have insisted we steer clear of the obstacle, our curiosity got the better of us and viola! a burned hand.  We learned in that immediate moment what words failed to convince us of.  We’re hard-wired to use pain for learning.  All animals are equipped this way.  Think about it. 

Pain in our lives is an accelerant to learning.  While we all profess to prefer learning from other people’s mistakes, it’s our own where we not only learn faster, but the lessons are burned (sometimes literally) into our minds.  Pain not only quickens the pace of learning, it has a tendency to stick much longer.  Every time we avoid pain then usually lengthens the time it takes to learn the valuable lessons embedded within.  The lessons we fail to learn end up circling back around on us in increasingly painful ways until we finally relent and journey through the process.  Pain is unavoidable – it’s part of the human condition.  The sooner we embrace the pain in our lives, the faster we’re able to move on.

The most profound lessons I’ve learned throughout my life have almost always come attached to pain.  Whether it’s something as simple as the proper way to swing an ax, or in ways I’ve handled important relationships or business dealings, the most life-enhancing events in my life started as seeds of pain before they blossomed into something beautiful.

Next time you find yourself staring into the face of pain look for the lessons to be learned.  Embrace pain as a companion knowing that what you are about to learn will serve to make you a better person.

Duane Grove is founder of Connect2Action and an aspiring quiet, reflective servant-leader.  Curious sage in perpetual development connecting us all on a journey of discovery of our highest purpose.  Follow Duane on Twitter @connect2action and connect with him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+.  Learn more about Connect2Action by visiting www.connect2action.com.

You can follow his blogs at:  mindfulperspectives.blogspot.com and connect2action.blogspot.com