No pain, no gain

A thought to keep in mind for those difficult moments...

Once, during a very stressful period at work, I worked very long hours. Gradually, my body gave me signals. My neck got stiff, gradually my shoulder got stiff, and before I knew it, my shoulder froze. I could barely dress myself.

After a few weeks, I flew back home, a doctor gave me a shot to put some fluid back into my joints and was advised to see a physio-therapist who "would work me back into shape". It was the first time ever I went to a physio-therapist.

The guy looked at me and shook his head: "This will take time". I told him "I don't have time. I give you 14 days. In 14 days, I want to be back as I was before. Do with me what you want, I will work with you on this, but you got 14 days."

He said: "A condition: During those 14 days, you go with me all the way. You will not give up and do what I tell you to do. No matter how painful."
"In revalidation", he said, "no pain: no gain. Pain shows we are at your limit. We're moving your limit."

He started to work with me. On me. He took an arm I could no longer move up nor down, and put some movement back in it, bit by bit. Those of you who ever got through a frozen-shoulder, or any other type of physical revalidation will understand when I tell you "painful" is an understatement.

Every day, twice per day for one hour, the physio-therapist worked on me. In between sessions, I exercised by myself. Every day, my arm, my shoulder, my whole body started to move a bit more. Every day, we went a bit further, and every bit 'further' we went, every time we forced that arm, that shoulder, to move a bit more, came with a deep pain.

A pain that told me 'stop', but my mind was stronger. I wanted to progress. And along the way, I kept one thing in my mind he told me early on: "No pain, no gain".

Transpose this to life, and the things that we go through. Remember in the painful times, times where we are tried. A project does not work well at work, conflicts with family, a divorce, death of a loved one: these are the times where we, as a person, as a family, as a project team, learn and grow. These challenges are put in front of us, so we can grow.

So: don't fear challenges. Embrace them and grow.

Oh, and about the frozen shoulder: yep, in 14 days, I was back on my feet.