“What is the meaning of the old age proverb that states, “There is no gain without pain”, I asked on my facebook status account because I desired to apprehend this proverb more thoroughly hence I asked the question.
Does it imply that if you never experienced pain you have nothing to gain? Should I just endure pain in order for me to gain something out of it?….I wondered.

No pain, no gain.

The proverb has variant of context which I have outlined below :

• Enduring physical pain in order to accumulate excellence : In order for athletes to achieve excellence, they have to endure physical and mental pain. They will devote themselves to extended hours of training on the field to keep fit and active. And I believe at times they felt like giving up due to pain but the thought of losing during games kept them going. And the only alternative they had was just to endure the pain. Speaking from experience, sometimes during my squats sessions I experience muscle pulls and I would feel the urge to surrender and quit but when I visualise that nice figure and a circled ‘booty’ I would rather endure the pain to gain that great body. That alone will stimulate me to forge ahead till the end. Everytime you encounter pain whilst executing a task, recess and examine the results, you will be motivated to persevere. Love yourself and the world will love you back.

• Enduring hardships in obedience for spiritual gain. Without the pain of constantly sacrificing to do good, one would not have spiritual gain. The same manner with fasting, it is not plain sailing. It’s a sign of dying to self. You devote your focus to spiritual food as opposed to physical food. During the fast you will experience stomach aches because your body will be starved from eating. The more you endure the pain till completion, the greater your spiritual being is activated. You begin to crave more of spiritual matters than any other thing. If you do not endure, you will gain nothing spiritually.

• Enduring discomfort to gain excellence in your studies, careers or any aspect in your life. This is where intense sacrifices are recquired. If you are a student, you will have to devote your time in libraries and labs researching and studying. Intense effort is required in order to progress to the next level. As strenous as it sounds, without hard work and effort on your studies, you must know that failure is inevitable. Same applies to those who are working. If you are not a hard worker at your workplace, promotion will be a thing of the past. You need to give your boss reasons to promote you by putting more effort in your work.

• Enduring hardships in relationships in order to gain peace. Lets be relationships are hard to maintain sometimes. Not only intimate ones, but also between families, relatives and friends. In a scenery like this one, intense sacrifice in order to maintain peace in relationships is vital. I do not imply that you should endure abusive relationships but there are relationships which are experiencing hardships at the moment which only recquires your endurance for you to see the food which will come out of it. The results of your endurance shall be revealed in due time. You need to commit and endure to build healthy relationships. Do not give up on your spouses just because of the conflicts you are encountering and all of a sudden you are filing for a divorce. Be patient and work on your relationships.

• Enduring pain of saving money or investing in order to gain financial freedom. Saving up money is not easy at all. There are months wherein I succumb to temptation of using all my money up. The sacrifices I make to secure my monthly savings are a bit much but I will think of the rainy days or the day I decide to buy something I’ve always wanted with my savings, then I become motivated. I look at the bigger picture and discipline myself not to use the money. In the same manner as investments, initially it might be tough considering the amount of money departing from you, subsequently you shall reap what you sowed and it will come back to you multiplied. Do not be afraid to invest or save up money, you will thank yourself in the future.

• There are lessons to lookout for when you go through pain. You must never allow yourself to go through hardships without having learnt a lesson. Out of every season you pass through, ask yourself questions as to what can you profit out of this. You have endured pain, what is the lesson. Is the pain worth enduring, if not, then move forward and focus on other matters.This are simple questions you can ask yourself which will assist you to make better decisions.

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Do not be afraid to make sacrifices.
There are so many hardships you will have to endure in order to gain. Remain focused and know that situations do not last forever. The season will change and you will smile again. It’s just temporary. Hold on and be strong, your morning is coming.

According to your understanding, what does the proverb mean
What have you endured which ultimately worked for your good? What lessons have you learnt out of your pain? Let me hear from you on the comments section .

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From my heart to yours
Cheers

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