…About Pain and Pleasure…
It is an interesting thought being suggested by Anthony Robbins in his book: Awaken The Giant Within. He says that in principal, every choices that a person makes is based on either Pain or Pleasure. Every decisions can be traced back to either Pain or Pleasure.
The way a person relating something either to Pain or Pleasure can shape his destiny. Some person relates Pleasure with drinking alcohol. In short term, it gives a pleasurable sensation. Feeling excited. Some relates eating fatty food with Pleasure. It tastes delicious and gives a good feeling. The way they relate Pleasure with this activities leads to the decisions they make.
Some other people see that eating fatty and sweet food continously for a long period can lead to destruction. Overweight. Disease. They relate this to Pain. That’s why eventhough they can eat these kind of foods anytime they want, they just don’t do it. Why? Because they feel Pain in doing it. It does not feel painful instantly, but they can feel it is coming.
Robbins says that the way of people relating Pain or Pleasure can shape their destiny. If people can relate constructive activities with Pleasure, the more people will likely to doing constructive things. On the other side, if people are able to relate destructive activities with Pain, the easier they can avoid doing them. By doing more constructive activities compared with destructive ones, basicly people are making their lives better.
The ability to see long term benefits can change how people relate things with Pain or Pleasure. Watching soap opera, playing computer games, gossiping, in short term they give pleasurable feelings. But doing it over and over for a long time can lead into destruction. On the other side, reading good books, learning, studying, body exercising, can be seen as boring activities. It feels painful to do. But in long term, these activities will give Pleasure. People become better in decision making because of learning. By working out regularly, people will have a good physical health so they can enjoy life. So, it is important to be able to see the short and long term effect of a choice that we make.
By trying to master how to relate things with Pain or Pleasure, we can direct our lives to the direction we want. Because we can choose to relate “working hard” with “better position in the future”, “better income”, “better quality of life”, which means Pleasure, we can enjoy doing the work. Yet, people can also relate “working hard” with “being in hell”, and that’s Pain, and that makes them reluctant to doing work. In long term, that leads to slowing down in their career growth. And in long term, that could mean “hell” as well.
How do you relate a failure? Yes you can relate it with shame (Pain). But, why don’t relate it to "better results", "higher achievement", "better life" (Pleasure)? By doing this, you will not haunted by the guilty feeling when you fail in doing something.
Want to lose some weight? Visualize how good it is to have a good healthy body. How more attractive you will be. That you will be able to do more challenging activities. And that you will be able to enjoy living by having a good body fitness. When you relates this Pleasure with the exercise you do in gym, you will feel you have the energy to achieving your dream. When you choose what kind of foods you can eat or can not, you don’t feel as being limited. Instead you will feel that you are doing the right choice. It will give you the energy you need until you reach your goal.
Like everything in this universe is being put together from smaller things. every achievements are also made of small good decisions. Learn to master this simple idea, and be ready to receive great result!
