Check this out.
http://www.warriordash.com/register2011_tennessee.php
I thought this would be a fun thing to do. Those who complete the race get a t-shirt, a warrior helmet (think Fred Flintstone Grand Poobah hat), and a warrior feast. Let me know if you are interested.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Pain?
Lately I have been fixated on pain. I am not for sure why, but I keep pondering the questions : What is the purpose of pain? and Why do I enjoy pain? Now for some of you the second question will confirm your opinion that I am crazy, but we will get to that later.
What is the purpose of pain?
A dictionary definition of pain is
1) physical suffering or distress
2) mental or emotional suffering or torment
Neither definition really explains the purpose of pain but definitely makes it sound like something you would want to avoid. But I think by avoiding pain we are cheating ourselves of growth.
Pain develops character
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4
Look at the people that we admire in the world. The inspirational people are those who have overcome significant pain and have achieved great success (Aron Ralston, Lance Armstrong, Oscar Pistorius, etc.) The internet is filled with inspirational videos and success stories of athletes who defy the odds. We look to them and are inspired to be more, because if they can do it, then so can we. The pains and sufferings that they faced forced them to either quit and give up or perservere and be who they wanted to be. This perserverance develops an intense character that does not know how to quit and can also have hope that they can overcome anything that comes their way.
If pain develops character, wouldn't we want to experience this and push through it whenever we can. Every serious athlete has accepted pain as a normal experience. The great ones look forward to the opportunity to prove that a little pain can not deter them from a goal (Ironmans, mountain climbers, strongmen, etc).
Every one of us enjoys pain to some extent. Every time we step into the gym we are confronting a soon to be painful experience, that in the end we can either relish in the fact that we dominated that challenge or ponder why we failed to perservere. We choose to put ourselves through things that "normal" people would never understand or choose to do. If we can overcome these trials on a daily basis, when something major comes a long we will be a little more prepared for it and know how to handle the "new pain".
So maybe I am not crazy for enjoying pain, but if I am so are you.
What is the purpose of pain?
A dictionary definition of pain is
1) physical suffering or distress
2) mental or emotional suffering or torment
Neither definition really explains the purpose of pain but definitely makes it sound like something you would want to avoid. But I think by avoiding pain we are cheating ourselves of growth.
Pain develops character
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4
Look at the people that we admire in the world. The inspirational people are those who have overcome significant pain and have achieved great success (Aron Ralston, Lance Armstrong, Oscar Pistorius, etc.) The internet is filled with inspirational videos and success stories of athletes who defy the odds. We look to them and are inspired to be more, because if they can do it, then so can we. The pains and sufferings that they faced forced them to either quit and give up or perservere and be who they wanted to be. This perserverance develops an intense character that does not know how to quit and can also have hope that they can overcome anything that comes their way.
If pain develops character, wouldn't we want to experience this and push through it whenever we can. Every serious athlete has accepted pain as a normal experience. The great ones look forward to the opportunity to prove that a little pain can not deter them from a goal (Ironmans, mountain climbers, strongmen, etc).
Every one of us enjoys pain to some extent. Every time we step into the gym we are confronting a soon to be painful experience, that in the end we can either relish in the fact that we dominated that challenge or ponder why we failed to perservere. We choose to put ourselves through things that "normal" people would never understand or choose to do. If we can overcome these trials on a daily basis, when something major comes a long we will be a little more prepared for it and know how to handle the "new pain".
So maybe I am not crazy for enjoying pain, but if I am so are you.
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