No Pain, No Gain!

"Horse stance..." my instructor commanded. Feet shoulder width-and-a-half apart, toes pointing forward, knees bent, hips dipping near the knees, back straight, eyes focused straight ahead. "Left hand out, right hand back, single punch..." came the next command. Then, "Ich...Ni...San...Shi..." as he began to slowly, methodically count.

"Double punch, ready, hold your stance..." was the next instruction. Legs beginning to burn, tremble, as we began another round of punching. "Triple punch...hold that stance...keep that back straight...drop your hips a bit lower..." We finished our punches, and he would then say, "Hold it...hold it...hold that stance..." Sweat pouring off my brow, legs shaking, I and the other students held that stance for what seemed like an eternity...until he said "Ya-Me (Stop)".

It was a ritual that was essentially a right of passage as we worked our way through the "conditioning" portion of our class (as our instructor liked to call it). Scissor crunches, partner sit-ups, sit-up / stand ups, push-ups on palms, knuckles, fingertips and wrists, jump rope, box jumps, speed drills, burpees, stretching...these were part and parcel of our daily routine in Okinawan karate.

We would show new students where the bathrooms were, as well as trash cans strategically placed around the dojo, as it was common for them, if they didn't pace themselves the first few classes, to upchuck as their bodies adapted to the physical demands of training. Our instructor believed physical fitness was essential to becoming a good martial artist, and one of his reminders to us as we pushed out bodies to their physical limits in class was, "No pain, no gain."

It has been said that problems introduce us to ourselves. As we face challenges in life, we get to know ourselves a little bit better, discover what we are truly capable of, and whether or not we will be quit when the going gets tough. In the 15 Laws of Growth, the Law of Pain reminds us that what we experience, and how we respond, defines who we are - and what we will become.

Life isn't always fair, and at times we will all face difficult situations and circumstances. Sometimes, it is due to choices we have made and at other times it is due to the choices of others. And at times, life is unfair through no one's fault. As a prostate cancer survivor, I can attest to that personally. But how we respond to the pain of life says a lot about ourselves, and if we take the time to learn what life's pain can teach us, we can grow and become better as a result.

John Maxwell says, "Experience is not the best teacher. Reflected experience is." As we go through uncomfortable experiences in life, we have a chance to learn and grow, if we are willing to take the time to do so.

There are times when we face pain due to failure, personal or financial loss, disappointment, broken relationships, conflict with others, health issues, responsibility, inexperience or poor choices. As we go through these things, we will respond in some way. We can either choose to move forward and learn from the experience, or retreat and become bitter.

How we respond to the pain of life will either limit our future or grow our possibilities.

Far too many people choose to allow the pain in life to hold them back, stop them from moving forward, or growing and maturing. It's easier to live life by default, accepting what comes our way as inevitable, and failing to learn the lessons life wants to teach us. Some of the most successful people in life have gotten where they are as a result of learning from life's pain and growing as a result of the experience.

Pain is a part of the life experience. We cannot avoid a life without pain. But we can choose how we will respond when pain comes our way. Attitude determines altitude, and attitude sets the stage for how we will respond to life's challenges and difficulties - and sets the stage for learning, or simply accepting, what comes our way. Those who overcome the most problems ultimately see the most success in life - so we can either have the mindset we will see problems as an opportunity to see success, or simply see the problem as something we must endure. One attitude gives us hope and the strength to endure; the other is one that gives up and readily accepts defeat.

Life's challenges and difficulties can introduce us to a new and better you. Bill "Superfoot" Wallace experienced a career-ending knee injury in Judo. Yet Wallace chose not to allow life's difficulties to put him on the sideline, but he chose instead to look within and discover a new and better version of himself within. He began training in Karate, and began full contact fighting a few years later.

Bill "Superfoot" Wallace saw success in the Professional Karate Association, winning 23 consecutive fights between 1974 and 1980, retiring as the undefeated middleweight PKA world champion. Wallace chose to be an overcomer rather than a victim of life's difficulties, and continues to inspire millions around the world as a global Ambassador of the Martial Arts. He chose "I Can" over "I Can't" and refused to stay where he was.

It's easy to play the VICTIM card when life's difficulties come our way. It's easy to blame someone else and the circumstances beyond your control. This mindset makes it easy to stop moving forward, to become bitter, and live life by default. This limiting mindset holds back far too many people in today's society who would rather blame someone or something other than themselves from moving forward, growing, learning and experiencing success.

What is needed is for you to take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for your life, and the choices you have made, and to refuse to be a VICTIM of circumstances. Circumstances don't define you, unless you allow them to. Self-pity keeps you mired in the mud of circumstances, unable to move forward. You can't move forward toward significance without taking personal responsibility for your life, and your choices.

You must choose to be a Victor and not a Victim over the pain of life.

I learned a lot from "horse stance". It taught me I was capable of doing more than I imagined. I learned there was a better, stronger version of me within...and that inspired me to push harder, go farther and to learn all that pain had to teach me. It also made it easier the next time I faced a challenge or difficulty, knowing I had previously succeeded, to have confidence I could (and would) do so again.

No one truly likes pain, but without pain we would not gain the knowledge, experience and benefit of what pain was trying to teach us as we face life's circumstances and difficulties. We all experience pain at different times in our lives, so it's not a matter of if, but when. It's part of the human existence.

If you want to be a Black Belt Leader in Life, then you must see pain for what it is, a challenge or difficulty to overcome, and an opportunity to learn and grow as a result of going through the experience. Every success you achieve over the pain of life prepares you in advance to not only overcome your next challenge, but to help others who are going through their own pain to learn from it.

Remember, leaders lead by example. Those who are following you on your leadership journey will rise and fall on your leadership example. They are looking to you for an example of one who overcomes life's challenges, and learns from them, which inspires them to go and do likewise...as they are often facing the same or similar challenges in their own lives. Your example helps set the stage for their future success as a Victor, not a Victim.

Each time we learn from the pain of life, we gain valuable experience that enables us to go farther, go higher, go deeper than we have before. Without the pain, there is no gain.

REMINDER: We are on Week Eight of learning to apply John Maxwell's "15 Invaluable Laws of Growth" to our lives. We spend one week focused on practicing daily one growth law, then the next week, we add the next growth law, without neglecting what we've already started to practice.

To order John Maxwell's 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, click HERE.

2X martial arts Hall of Fame inductee, John Terry is a motivational speaker, leadership, sales & communication coach and trainer.   

Through his coaching and training company, IMGA.com, John (and his daughter, Jessie) seeks to INSPIRE others to see their limitless potential, MOTIVATE them to pursue black belt excellence as a leader in life, GROW personally and professionally and ACHIEVE greatness through living a life of significance.  

For more information, schedule John (or Jessie) to speak to your organization or to book a personal, group or corporate coaching session, visit www.IMGA.com.  

If you are a faith-based organization, learn more about John and Jessie's outreach to churches, para-church organizations or faith-based volunteer groups by visiting www.DunamisFactor.com.

John is an Executive Director with the John Maxwell Team and is passionate about helping others pursue excellence as they become "Leaders in Life".  

Jessie is a Certified Speaker, Coach and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team. By the age of 18, Jessie has traveled to Guatemala and Cameroon, Africa to challenge and inspire young people to believe in themselves, and (regardless of age) to pursue with passion the dream within them. She is actively involved in the JMT Global Youth Initiative. Jessie was the youngest JMT member to ever speak on the Big Stage at the International Maxwell Certification conference in Orlando, FL in February, 2018.

Jessie's first children's book, Ebenezer's Journal, is available on Amazon.com.

Join Ebenezer as he uses the power of imagination to transform Dr. Lime's School of Normal Monsters into something amazing. See AWARENESS on display as Ebenezer awakens the dreams of his fellow students to transform his school and his community.

A fun read that can start young children on their own personal leadership growth journey. Buy a copy for yourself, and a copy to share with someone else.

?Click HERE to order.?