a life spent avoiding pain is a life not lived

we have been conditioned to look at pain like it is a thing to avoid. when young children are growing up they are constantly being reminded to “be careful.” but to what extent is being careful stopping you from living life? ⁣

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this year has been a year of breaking free from some really big fears for me. one of these fears was traveling to a far foreign country alone. as an adult, i haven't been on a plane that was any longer than 5 hours. I have always been terrified of flying long distances but also terrified of traveling to a new country by myself. ⁣

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this year i went to Asia and Africa, alone. and i realized that avoiding pain is avoiding our own power. ⁣

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pain is natural, it is part of the human condition. challenges bring pain and if we avoid pain we won’t ever learn the lessons it brings with it. ⁣

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pain carries wisdom, and some of the most insightful experiences bring with them a ton of pain. ⁣

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AND we’re made to handle pain. ⁣

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just look at a kid fall next time and give them no reaction, they will get up and act as nothing happened. but react to that same child falling down and they will cry and throw a huge fit. ⁣

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most parents react to pain like it is the worst thing a child can experience. these children learn that pain is something to fear. ⁣

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we are those children … all grown up. we have been told to fear anything that can potentially bring any type of pain. take something like rejection for instance. people will stand on the sidelines and not do something that can potentially change their lives all because it can also potentially get them rejected. ⁣

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rejection hurts the ego. the soul knows it can never be rejected because it fully understands that what is for it will never miss it. and if you look at life that way, you know that rejection is not what it has been made out to be. if anything, rejection is working in your favor. rerouting you to your actual destination. ⁣

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i want to look deeper at pain though because i really do believe it is tied up with your power. growth and transformation are two things that bring immense pain. looking at our patterns is not for the faint-hearted, this stuff takes courage. ⁣

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we have to reframe how we look at pain if we want any chance at living full wholehearted lives. ⁣

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ask yourself these questions⁣

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if i weren’t afraid of pain what would i do for a living?⁣

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if pain weren’t scary, what crazy chance would i take?⁣

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how is the fear of rejection holding me back?⁣

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think about your career, think about your relationships, think about your entire life. playing small and avoiding pain go hand in hand. in order to live the life you were put here to live you have to be okay with pain. you actually have to become accustomed to it. ⁣

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and you aren’t here to live mediocrely, or to play small. the entire world is connected and interdependent so every action you take to better yourself, you are actually taking to better this planet. ⁣

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now, that's phenomenal. ⁣

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#getoutthetrap⁣