Author Haruki Murakami said, “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
What a powerful statement. We can’t avoid the pain. But we can choose the mindset that will increase or decrease our suffering and hardships.
Someone once said if we all put our troubles on the table, we’d take our own back. Everyone is going through something. Pain is inevitable.
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn said, “Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.”
The challenges can be painful. But this is how we grow. We must be pushed to our limit and hit our rock bottom before we can fully rise to new heights.
Is your mental, emotional or physical pain causing you to suffer today? What can you do to decrease that suffering? What action can you take? Who can you reach out to? Can you meditate, tap, walk, sleep, read, sing or dance to help alleviate it?
Suffering is optional.