The Pain is in the Wrong Place

Why is it the best lessons have some modicum of “pain” associated with them?

When I was growing up my dad would routinely give me this message, and educate me on its merits.

Here’s an example: I had this orange Dodge pickup (called “The Beast”) as I entered high school.  I was only to drive to and from school or football practice.  The very first day I had it out I offered some buddies a ride home. Well, I ended up taking a dip way too fast and broke both engine mounts.  The only gear that worked was 1st gear and reverse to get me home.  My folks made me call our mechanic for a fix.  He gave me a shock with the amount to tow it in and then to fix it.  But I had to have it.

Little did I know that my dad had talked to the mechanic beforehand and made sure the fix was painful enough to remember (I found this out years later).  The pain was in the right place.  I was a budding entrepreneur (lawn business) even at an early age, so money was a big pain point. It wasn’t worth it to take any buddies home from that day on.  Had my folks chosen to simply take my car away, I doubt very much that I would have learned the same lesson.

Ensuring the pain is in the right place can be applied in much more than money situations. We just have to make sure it’s in the right place.  If it is not, then make moves to get it there.

I’m not advocating that it takes pain to learn, however if some form of learning “pain” isn’t where it should be, no one wins (or learns).