Pain Cave

 


David Goggins coined the phrase “Pain Cave (PC)”. It is the moment when a person begins to waiver or struggle through whatever challenge they are facing at that moment. David Goggins is an acquired taste, but I have found his writing to be a way to push myself harder. The PC is the battle that is faced in our head. Anytime we start to become uncomfortable and there is a struggle to start or feel like stopping, that is the entrance to the PC. 

 

My alarm goes off at 4am Monday through Friday. On a side note, has anyone noticed that the snooze button is much bigger than the stop button? No wonder people hit the snooze button so often. Hitting the stop button is like hitting a bullseye on the dart board from 40 feet away with crusty eyes. Anyway, I lay in bed for about 20 seconds and the PC starts. I don't want to get up, but now I am like a robot. The first thing I do is turn on my light next to the bed. I stagger towards the main light in the bedroom. I put on my clothes I laid out the night before as my head starts to clear. Then turn on the Bathroom light to handle things there. It is exactly the same every morning at 4am. Before all of this though, I battle the thoughts in my head. Last week on three out of the five days, I laid in bed having to talk myself into getting up. 

 

I have recently been really locked into some very specific terminology in my head when I can feel myself fighting the urges to give in. I will tell myself, “This is where strength starts to build.” I embrace the pain/challenge of the moment. I don't fight it or look to avoid it. I accept it for what it is. I had to do that nearly every morning last week. Every time I avoid the challenge, I am giving a foothold to everything that is against my goals. I use the example of getting up in the morning a lot. This mindset goes with everything I do. Writing this blog has taken me to my PC in a different way. If you know me, I consider myself a creative idea person. I struggle with the grind and monotony of tasks. Writing feels like nails on a chalkboard. This blog was a challenge to myself for this year to post 1 article a week on Mondays. If you have been following, I have posted later and later in the week. I am essentially giving into the anxiety of entering the PC. Today for me is a day of resetting on my goal and setting a new alarm. To commit to what I promised myself and to all that have read this blog so far. I will post a new article on Mondays. I want to embrace the anxiety and stress I have created for myself. Why? Because I made a commitment to myself, if I can't keep a commitment to myself how can I keep a commitment to anyone else in my life. I have even gone back and finished workouts that I quit on 10-15 years ago. 

 

This mindset can be life changing if you can embrace it. Can you push yourself to do more than you ever thought? 

 

When your legs are on fire during a run, can you smile and say to yourself, I committed to this distance, I will finish and I am getting stronger with each difficult step. 

 

When you are heading home from work and need to get that workout in, but you are tired from a long day. Can you embrace the exhaustion and commitment you made in the morning and say this moment right now, will make me stronger. 

 

People don't get stronger on rep one of set one. That's the warm-up. We get stronger on rep 8,9,10 of set 3. Arms or legs are shaky, and your head says you can't. Embrace that pain, smile at it. It is one of the most empowering moments you will ever experience. Studies have actually shown that competitors who are able to embrace the pain they are about to feel, perform at a higher level than those who minimize the pain. Here is an example of the thought process: This is about to be one of the hardest things I will do and it's going to hurt. I am here for it, because when I finish, I am stronger, faster, smarter, and more full of life.  

 

Time to lay down some beds in the cave and get after it.  

 

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