Many are afraid of taking action because it's painful. Washing the dishes in the sink isn't fun. Meditation is not euphoric. Waking up early sucks.
The discomfort of constructive action often paralyzes people from doing anything, so they choose to sleep in. They choose to get lost in the rabbit hole of YouTube, Reddit, Instagram — letting clickbait dictate their next move while their life deteriorates around them. They subscribe to inaction as a solution to avoid the pain of action, subconsciously aware of the fact that their stagnation breeds destruction. By avoiding the pain of action, we breed a new pain — the pain of watching our relationships grow cold, our bills stack up, our families grow old.
It's sobering when you find out that in this life, nobody gets to escape pain. Pain is as much a part of life as death itself. Pain is more common than happiness, as not everyone experiences true happiness, but everyone experiences true pain. While this may drive many into nihilism and despair, not everyone realizes that there is a solution: pain can be bargained with. Pain takes from us, but it can also give back — we just have to choose the right kind of pain.
There are only two types of pain: The pain of action, and the pain of inaction.
The pain of action is blunt, in your face, and forces you to grow. This is the pain that gives back. For every hour we suffer through sharpening our skills, saving our money, cleaning our house, building our body — we don't reduce the amount of pain we face, but rather, gain the strength to shoulder it. By embracing the pain of action, we are simultaneously transformed by it — we become someone we are proud of, someone that others can depend upon, which in turn brings meaning to the suffering.
