You will experience pain and suffering in this life. That’s a promise. Even Jesus promised this in John 16:33.

Everyone experiences suffering, pain, and hardship. But the meaning you ascribe to those realities makes or breaks you. That meaning will emerge in your self-talk, most noticeably in your automatic thinking patterns.

When the winners’ mind experiences physical or emotional pain, they do not ask, “Why must I suffer?” That question is a primary question that average people ask themselves. It’s filled with self-pity, a victim mindset, and pride, which are foreign to the champion mindset. Do you know what the champion thinks instead?

They fight through it, believing that this trial is a training ground for getting better, tougher, and stronger and ultimately a stepping stone to helping them reach their true potential. Champions understand that pain or life’s trials allow for the greatest transformation in their character. The greatest success comes to those who intentionally work to develop their character; that’s why Jim Rohn always encouraged personal development.

“The path to the greatest success is paved by those who consciously cultivate their character.”

Since winners have a clear, carefully constructed vision and continuously work to upgrade their identity, they can fight through the pain, unlike the masses. One way they fight through this is by remembering how this pain, trial, and sacrifice will make them better, not bitter. Their self-talk honors this. They develop (what I call) the “best-friend mindset” by encouraging themselves to move forward when the going gets tough. They tell themselves –“YOU GOT THIS!” “YOU CAN DO THIS!” –Just like the little engine who could.

They speak belief, faith, conviction, and confidence over themselves. Unlike average-minded people, they do not wallow in fear, doubt, or self-pity. No, they get up and move, believing their vision will come to fruition through hard work, consistent effort, and experimentation.

Ordinary people usually need more mental clarity, champion self-talk, and a vision like champions’, but that’s not the biggest separator. The masses believe there is no reason to suffer and shouldn’t have to. Therefore, they give up or quit shortly after they begin experiencing what they don’t want to—pain and hardship.

Ordinary people are intrinsically motivated to experience fun and pleasure, so they give up so easily. “It’s too hard,” they say. It’s not fun anymore.” Self-talk like that leads them to take the easy path, but it only leads to long-term pain and consequences.

Champions understand that success depends on long-term focus, never giving up, and seeing everything as a learning opportunity. Average people aren’t willing to accept the pain, heartache, difficulty, struggle, and, at times, lack of “fun” and discipline it will take to achieve their visions. They are too busy focusing on having fun and what they want to avoid.

Action Plan:

The next time you experience pain, hardship, or trials, I want you to pay attention to your self-talk. What are you telling yourself? What do you believe? What meaning are you making from the experience?

Champions can turn anything into fun because they enjoy challenges and growth. What mental shift can you make to do this?

Once you know the answers, you need to upgrade your perspective. How can you see this in an empowering way?

Everything contains a lesson – nothing is really good or bad – it just is. What does seeing the trial, pain, or hardship in a way that can help you grow vs defeat you?

No one said life would be easy, so it’s time to toughen up, Buttercup. God gets the final say. You can either complain and stay negative during the trial or praise God, believe in the impossible, walk by faith, and think optimistically. Both are equal options. The latter has a higher vibrancy.