Accountability Challenge Week 45: The Pain & Gain of Goal Setting
It’s quite common to hear the expression “no pain no gain” as it relates to the pursuit of our physical fitness goals, and goals in general.
What this typically means is that in order to achieve a challenge objective we first have to go through a certain amount of hardship or discomfort.
However it is a very natural and common tendency of human behaviour to want to avoid pain at all costs.
One of the biggest reasons that more people don’t achieve their goals in life is that they perceive the pain that they would have to go through to achieve the goal to be greater than the gain from the goal.
So the desire for the avoidance of pain quite often leads us to fall short of our goals.
Let’s look at our goal of completing a marathon, in other words we have a desire to run 42.2 km in an organized running race.
Last week we looked at the payoffs or “gains” around our goal. This week let’s look the perceived “pain” that might prevent us from achieving this goal:
• It’s too hard.
• It’s a long way to run, too long.
• I will have to commit a lot of time and effort to achieve this goal.
• It’s not worth all the pain and suffering
• My body might break down or get injured.
• Running is boring and monotonous
• I’m not cut out for running.
• My spouse will be resentful if I spend all this time away from them and my family.
There are many more manifestations of pain real or otherwise that can prevent us from achieving our goals.
The truth is that if we do have a significant goal, be it a health and fitness goal or a business related goal there is going to be some pain and discomfort that we will have to go through to enjoy the “gain”.
Another important truth is that we can never really avoid pain in life, whether it be achieving a goal that is important to us, or just getting on with our daily lives. Pain and gain are as natural and essential as breathing.
The desire to avoid pain, will only serve to hold us back from enjoying the myriad of the gains that life has to offer. This in turn only serves to perpetuate a vicious cycle of more pain in our lives.
So now the old adage becomes…”no pain, no gain, no gain, more pain”.
I dare you to say that five times fast.
Expect Success,
Mark,
Thought for the week: When you surround yourself with positive people who believe in you and inspire you, anything is possible”. Elle Crane
Coach Mark,
Mark Hudon, CFP™, CCS™
Financial Fitness Coach, Certified Cash Flow Specialist™
Creator of The Core Conditioning Program™
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