Greatness Through Suffering

I recently finished listening to the book Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins and was extremely impressed with all he was able to accomplish to this point in his life.  It was a fun journey through some incredible events and a book I recommend everyone take the time to either read or listen to on Audible.  There was a lot to digest throughout his story, but something that stood out to me that I wanted to take some time to expand upon here was the idea of suffering to grow or become great.  Through out his life Goggins has been exposed and exposed himself to extreme suffering and discomfort from being abused as a child, to seeing people killed, to facing racism, to multiple hell weeks during BUDS, and much much more.  He believes that through all this suffering it opened him up to some incredible growth and understanding about his abilities and his life, as well as unlocking more of his potential through each experience.  As I listened to his story, I thought about that idea and that concept.  While my life has not had nearly as much suffering, nor have I come close to the level of suffering he faced, the difficult choices and moments of discomfort I’ve battled through have always led to success and breakthroughs.  

As a whole our society has lost the ability to battle through discomfort and suffer long enough to find success.  We’ve become trapped by the idea that things should happen quickly and instantly due to advancements in technology that have made us weaker and soft.  Few people really know what it means to pursue something through suffering.  Most people give up on their dreams and goals the second they face any adversity or suffer a setback.  However, my experience has been that in those moments of discomfort, suffering and failure we unlock things within our minds and abilities that if we choose to dig in a little deeper we move that much closer to a breakthrough or ultimate success.  

Think about times in your life when you have suffered.  Think about things that caused you physical or emotional pain.  What were you doing?  Why were you there suffering?  Did you quit or keep going?  If you pushed through the suffering, what happened on the other side?  Since today is September 12, I’m going to use an example that I think everyone can relate to.  Right now in our country is divided and at odds with each other.  There is no common ground to stand on and nobody is willing to budge or compromise.  But let’s think back nineteen years ago.  Nineteen years ago our country was never closer, never so united except for maybe December 8, 1941 (day after the attack on Pearl Harbor).  Anyway, on this day nineteen years ago, our country had just suffered a massive blow.  American lives were lost in a terrorist attack that shook the nation.  Yet as a nation we didn’t stop moving forward, we dug in and embraced the suffering together, we moved through suffering to become more united and together than we had been in decades.  The same could probably have been said following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I use this example of suffering because it was universal for most Americans.  Everyone faces moments of suffering in their life.  We lose loved ones, we lose jobs, fail tests, embark on difficult physical tasks, climb mountains, and so much more.  What we do during our moments of suffering lead us to understanding our abilities and who we are more than any success.  While we look at suffering as a physical thing in most cases, it can be suffering in anything we do.  Learning to read with dyslexia can be considered suffering, but those who embrace the suffering and control their minds can make strides to improve upon their situation.  Learning to walk again after an accident that takes a limb or paralyses the body requires suffering, and yet still people who are told they’ll never walk again find ways to prove the experts wrong.  People born with disabilities go on to do incredible things from running marathons, to writing novels, to inspiring others to become more, but they do so by embracing their suffering not blaming their circumstances.

Let’s reel in the level of suffering a little to make it something that may resonate with more of my audience.  Imagine you were told by a coach or teacher that you were going to be in a particular role going into a season or performance.  For example you are going to be the starting quarterback, or the lead in the school play.  Then before the start of the year a person moves into the school district and takes your spot.  Maybe they’re better than you maybe they aren’t, but the job is no longer yours.  It happens all the time in college athletics, and we see people pack up shop and enter the transfer portal.  Imagine instead you decide to suffer through the disappointment of not being the lead or star on the team.  You show up everyday and put in more work to get better and improve.  You don’t blame the teacher or coach, you don’t pout about your new situation, you just work harder.  You decide to suffer everyday by getting to practice an hour early and staying an hour late, you practice harder than you ever have before.  Then next year you earn your spot back.  

That is the ultimate point to all this.  We all suffer in this world.  We all must make sacrifices and choices to achieve the dreams we have for ourselves.  Those who embrace suffering as part of the journey can ultimately grind away their goals and dreams.  Those who blame their circumstances or those around them for their situation, will ultimately collapse and fail under the pressure of suffering.  I don’t care where you come from or what your situation, if you want something you can get it.  There’s nothing holding you back except you.  Yes, some people start in better positions than others.  Yes, some paths have fewer obstacles than others.  Yes, you may have to suffer more than someone else choosing the same path as you.  None of that matters though, because the more you suffer the more you unlock within yourself and the closer you come to realizing your true potential.  Don’t blame your situation, own your situation.

We can all gain insight to our soul through suffering.  We can become more aware of our full potential and become mentally more callus through our tough moments.  Much like we must pound iron in the weight room to get stronger, we must push our minds further and harder to become more mentally tough and powerful.  Don’t be afraid to suffer through difficult moments or to fail at a task because you chose to stretch your abilities.  Embark on a journey that leads you to suffer and I promise you if you choose to continue that path through the suffering you will emerge on the other side stronger and closer to your full potential than when you went in.  What I want you do to going forward is face adversity and suffering head on.  Hold on just a little longer before you give up on something because it’s hard or difficult and see if you can continue to work through the pain to find your way through the storm on the other side.  Greatness is achievable for all of us, but we must be willing to suffer to get there.