Pain is a messenger, not an enemy.
First, I recognize that there are different kinds of pain, sending different kinds of messages:
- Some pain means healing or improvement is happening.
- Some pain is a warning that damage may come.
- Some pain is an alarm that damage is being done.
Being a wise swimmer, a long-lasting swimmer, requires that I tune in to my body, and my soul. It is not my goal to become better at enduring pain (i.e. ignoring pain), or worse, at medicating myself so that I don’t hear the alarms. No, I want to become skilled at reading the message and responding to it in the best interest of my health and my long-term vision.
Don’t be tough. Be smart. Learn to read. Learn to heed. Learn to live wisely, and thereby enjoy swimming a lot longer and a lot better.
Yes, there are obviously larger applications for this idea…
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