The Level of Joy You Seek is Directly Proportional to the Pain You Put to Get It

the Internal Journey

******* Show Notes *******
What if I told you the pleasure you are seeking in life cannot be achieved without going through an equal amount of pain.

You can’t avoid it.

The level of pleasure you can gain in life is directly proportional to the pain you put in to get it.

Welcome back to another episode of the Internal Journey, I’m your host Kam Knight, author of several books in the area of mental and human performance. Each week, we work together to uncover the root of your internal resistance to unlock your full potential.

My travel journey began by back packing through Central America

I started the journey in Medellin Colombia, and from there took an overnight bus to Santa Marta, where I slept under the stars for four nights. Then it was off to Cartagena, from where I sailed on a catamaran to Panama. Before arriving in the country, I made a pit stop on the deserted islands of the San Blas for several days. After Panama, I trekked across the border to Costa Rica.

Since I was backpacking, I wasn’t traveling luxuriously

Instead, I was roughing it, moving from hostel to hostel, sometimes sleeping on the beach or in hammocks. When I arrived in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, I needed a break from all the rough traveling. So I decided to spend a little extra money to stay in a nice hostel for a few nights.

And guess what?

The hostel had a hot shower. It was my first hot shower in six weeks. Not only did the shower have hot water. But there were two knobs, one for hot and the other for cold. So, I could control the temperature of the water!!

Words can’t describe the exhilaration I felt

Like I won the lottery. Literally, I felt like I hit the jackpot. In fact, I still remember the day like it was yesterday. Immediately jumping on Facebook to tell my friends about it.

Now, why did that shower feel so good?

I’ve had hot showers before. In truth, I’ve had plenty of them. Pretty much my entire life.

The reason it felt so good is because I went nearly six weeks without one

I went through the “pain” of cold showers, and often, no showers for weeks on end to appreciate the “pleasure” hot water could bring. Prior to that experience, I never thought twice about hot showers being special. It was always there, always available, on a daily basis. It was so available and routine, I expected it as my God-given right, and if I didn’t have it, I would be angry or upset.

Your level of joy is directly proportional to the pain you put in to get it

This is a fundamental principal of the mind. There is no way around it, you can’t avoid or cheat this principal. It always catches up. If you don’t pay the price before, you pay after, and if not immediately after, sometime in the future.

For example…

Alcohol is a great way to feel happy, loose, and have a good time, though you pay the price with a hangover. Coffee or energy drinks give you a boost of energy and clarity, but once the drink wears off, energy falls and the mind becomes hazy. The taste of chocolate, ice cream, and other junk food feel great on the tongue, but the price is paid with obesity or ill health. Either you experience the pain of exercise to burn off the extra calories or the pain of obesity and ill health. In the last episode, I talked about the importance of growing up, and how there is a level of joy you can never achieve or experience until you do, and this is why. You can check out that episode here…

Cheating this principle is what leads to addictions

Once the high of alcohol, caffeine, and sweets wear off, you feel crappy. So, what do you do? Have another glass, cup, or serving to avoid the pain of the crappy feelings, which you keep having to continue avoiding the pain. In fact, much of our addictions are not about chasing pleasure, but avoiding the pain from catching up.

This is also the reason unhappiness, sadness, and depression are so rampant in western society

People have everything to be happy about, but are not. They have hot water, wide range of produce from around the world, heating and air condition year round, and virtually any show or movie available anytime and anywhere. They have luxuries even kings of kings didn’t have only a few hundred years ago, yet they are still unhappy. It’s because they don’t have to work for these luxuries, so it doesn’t bring joy.

The point is, sometimes the level of joy you seek from life can only be achieved by exerting effort or pain

If you’re bored, dissatisfied, or unhappy, it might be because life has become too comfortable and you are avoiding things that might require effort. Whatever pleasure you seek to achieve, you can only achieve by putting effort on something. Now this doesn’t mean that you purposely make things difficult for yourself. It means that if you had everything you wanted, you’d be bored and want something more.

It’s not about what you have, it never was

It’s about what you put in to get it. I’m sure you’ve gotten nice things that came easy, but didn’t appreciate them or lost interest quickly, then chased something else. In fact, there are certain emotions and feelings that will never be accessible unless you’ve experienced a degree of difficulty. So, stop procrastinating or avoiding that thing because it’s too hard or difficult. The pleasure you receive from achieving it will be worth it and is not something you can get from television, social media, or even a box of chocolates.

******* Link to Previously Mentioned Episode *******
https://podcasts.bcast.fm/e/x8yq0l28-the-root-of-your-pain-struggle-and-inability-to-make-things-happen
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