I attended a talk long time ago and remembered the trainer said something like ; there is only 2 types of pain in this world. The pain of regret and the pain of discipline. 

Regret comes when we wish to do something but for some reason, we did not do it and thereafter regret for not doing it.  We often hear people say things like "Had I done this.......then I would.........."or "If only I knew, then......" It is as if the person wish to have some form of certainty before committing himself to do it. It could be fear, lack of commitment, etc. 

A common example would be you had a casual conversation with friends about your new business idea. They thought it was crap and lack depth. You took their words hard but did not do much about it. 6 months later, you saw your business idea being implemented. You are likely to regret not spending more time and resource to get it started now that you see the success of your idea being crystallised.

Discipline could means the person did go ahead to do the task, say do a 2km run to lose weight but gave up a week later and binge on more junk food. Somehow, he knew had he persisted, there is a good chance that he might achieve his weight goals but ........

The word "pain" somehow conjures an image of physical pain like sweating profusely, muscle aches and stiffness while exercising. However, the pain of not having what we want, the longing for the thing we want - in the mental sense could be  more painful than the physical one. Have you long to see your loved ones and family or being away from your kids for weeks? 

To avoid pain, people choose to day dream, talk about it but may not want to get into the action part or make their hands dirty, so to speak. By doing that, they thought they are safe and protected in some way. Yes, they do for a short while of not being stressed out solving the problem on hand but they also missed a greater lesson behind it. Each and every one of us has to go through our own life experiences and no one can do it for us. We can both run 2km but the pain you suffered could be 10x more than mine, depending on your perception of the whole matter.  As a father of two young kids, I need to be mindful not to be overly concerned about academic grades for my kids, expecting full marks all the time and that he knows the answers that the teachers want. Failure to do that does not mean anything, in fact it is a great opportunity for him to learn and accept that it is all a part of learning. It is better for him to fail now during his school years than to grow in a protected environment and become a "softie" when he gets into the working world. 

So, brace ourselves and see a bigger picture, the one that God has in mind for us. Each path that we are in, be it relationship, health or financial, there lies a lesson that we can take away from if we care to look deep into it.
Had I not had my shoulder injury, I would not appreciate the importance of doing 1 chin-up at a time, accumulating slowly but surely over time. Each increment is more than a testimony of my improvement but also it lifted up my confidence. 

With confidence, we can then take on the challenges that come our way and not fear that we will be shattered. Live a life of no regrets but one with passion and pursue it relentlessly with discipline.

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The word is used in the past tense, meaning the action had passed. So, I was doing 6 chin up back then. When was it ? It does not matter anymore. Just a moment ago, after sending my daughter to school, I did 11 (supinated) and 3 (pronated). Well done, I am HIGH. I felt a renewed sense of strength returning to me. On my way back, I was thinking if it is the environment that matters the number one can do the chin up. After much thought, I think while it helps, it is not the single most important driver of behavior change. After being in the Army for 2 years, I had witnessed how some who came in who can barely do one to completing 10 in 3 months time. 

Thereafter, without the pushing and yelling of the officer, the person slacks off, finding no motivation to carry on. Perhaps, environment could be a catalyst to get things started, turn on the engine gear but one will need a stronger pull. A burning reason to go to the exercise place to perform the exercise. For me, doing 20 chin up at one go is a new physical goal that I had set for myself and I am so happy I had completed it. 

"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Mark 11.24

See the link ? Not "will receive" as in the present continuous tense , meaning it is yet to come but on its way. That denotes a gap of some sort from where you are to where you want to be. And this psychological gap will widen as temporary defeats, lack of motivation, emotional mood swings, etc sets in. Before one knows it, his goals become nothing but a mere paper exercise and it repeats the cycle again. 

Because I had completed the 20 chin ups, I felt terrific. I feel strong and it gives me a sense of strength, both physical and psychological that I am better at handling any challenges that comes my way. I am prepared, bring it on. The whole body feels different as if new spare parts have bee added and old ones being recalibrated for better performance. And of course, the muscle tone looks great. 

Whatever your reason is to accomplish your physical goal, go for it. Be it a 5km run to running your first marathon or simply taking a walk each night after dinner. Most important of all, it matters to you. Do it for yourself, your loved ones and not because of social pressure or to please someone. Maybe, the latter might be a push factor for whatever reason but if things fall apart, you may not find the strength nor reason to carry on further.

We are all so blessed to have a great body given by our maker thus let's work towards keeping it in good condition.