The Climb Within: Struggle (Part 2)

I am confident you've heard the phrase - “No pain, no gain.”

But the deeper question is this:
What gain can your pain bring — to you, to others, to the world? Do not waste your pain!!!  Use it.

Pain is not something we seek, but we all encounter it eventually. While pain is never enjoyable, it is useful — if we’re willing to engage it instead of avoid it.

Pain Isn’t the Goal — Growth Is

“No pain, no gain” has often been reduced to grit slogans and grind culture. Push harder. Ignore the hurt. Power through. But that’s not the kind of pain that forms us.

Pain itself isn’t the prize.
Growth is.

The question isn’t whether pain exists — it does. The question is how we use it. Pain, when handled honestly, becomes one of life’s greatest teachers.

Pain Is Real — But It’s Not Always Right

There’s a quiet danger in how we talk about mindset.

Yes, a positive mindset matters.
Yes, abundance beats scarcity.
Yes, optimism outperforms despair.

But sometimes “positive thinking” becomes a way to avoid reality.

Pain is real.
Failure is real.
Emotions are real.

Our emotions and feelings are valid and real so let’s not suppress or ignore them — and they don’t always tell the truth. Trying to talk pain away with slogans doesn’t heal it. It buries it.

And buried pain doesn’t disappear — it leaks in real and unexpected ways often at times when it’s not useful.

“Pain Introduces Us to Who We Are”

One of the most honest leadership truths ever written is this:

“Pain introduces us to who we are.” - John McDowell

Pain strips away image.
It exposes coping mechanisms.
It reveals what we trust when comfort is gone.

Success can hide weakness. Pain cannot.

That’s why struggle is such a powerful stage of the climb — it doesn’t just test strength; it forms strength and reveals identity.

We Say “Ups and Downs”… But We Want “Ups and Ups”

We like to say life has ups and downs. What we mean is: “I’d prefer ups and ups.”

The climb doesn’t work that way. 

Growth requires resistance.
Formation requires friction.
Depth requires descent.

Even history reminds us of this truth. When JFK was once asked how he became a war hero, he famously replied, “It was easy. Someone sank my boat.” He didn’t seek the pain — but the pain shaped the leader.

Pain Always Presents Options

In the middle of pain, you always have choices.

You can dwell in it, blame through it, numb it, and run from it... or you can use the pain and learn from it.

The most dangerous question in pain is “Why me?” It keeps you stuck. Better questions move you forward.

The Questions That Turn Pain Into Growth

A growth mindset isn’t pretending the pain doesn’t hurt. It’s asking better questions inside the hurt.

Questions like:

• What is this pain teaching me?
  
  
• What is being revealed in me right now?
  
  
• What assumptions are being challenged?
  
  
• What patterns need to change?
  
  
• How can this make me wiser, not just tougher?
  
  
• How can I use this pain to help someone else?
  
  

Pain doesn’t automatically make you better. Processing the pain does.

From Wound to Wisdom

Unprocessed pain repeats itself. Processed pain transforms. This is how struggle becomes preparation.

Not because the pain was good — but because you refused to waste it.

The climb within doesn’t ask you to enjoy suffering. It invites you to redeem it.

Take the time to pause - reflect and evaluate the pain and your response.  This discipline reveals much.

Pain Is Not Punishment — It’s Preparation

We often treat pain like a verdict. A sign of failure or a reason to retreat. But pain is not punishment — it is preparation.

Struggle strengthens what ease and comfort never touches.
It reveals what short cuts conceal. It exposes what we truly rely on. If the climb within didn’t hurt, it wouldn’t change you.

Resistance isn’t evidence you’re off course.
It’s confirmation that something in you is being strengthened.

Reflection: Using the Pain

1. Where are you experiencing pain or frustration right now?
   
   
2. Are you trying to escape it — or learn from it?
   
   
3. What might this pain be revealing about you, your patterns, or your priorities?
   
   
4. How could this struggle become a source of wisdom or service for others?
   
   

🙏 Closing Prayer

God, help me not waste what hurts. Give me the courage to face pain honestly — without denial or despair. Teach me what this struggle is revealing, refine what needs changing, and help me transform this pain into wisdom, compassion, and purpose.

Amen.

If you like this blog, we'd love for you to sign up for new blog emails (only 1 email a week!) Be the first to hear each time a new blog drops by clicking the button in the right side menu (on desktop) or at the bottom of the page (on mobile).