Endurance

Life is full of rough patches. They happen often – and never at convenient times. That’s the name of the game. You could let rough patches get you down, set you back, or defeat you. You could shy away and play it safe. You could give up altogether.

Or you will stand up and fight the good fight. Take the punches as they come. Press forward. Move on. Absorb the pain and let it make you stronger. Survive the assault and win. You can outlast pain if you chose to. Outlast heartbreak. Outlast stress. Outlast depression. You can come out on top. And when you do, nothing like it will slow you down ever again.

Time may not heal all wounds; endurance can.

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Treat Wounds Immediately

Or else they’ll get infected. And I’m not just talking about flesh and blood. Emotional, economic, relational, publicity, etc. All wounds, if left unattended for too long, get deeper and more complicated. Scar tissue starts to build around the wound and make it permanent. Attending to the injury right away may be the only way to prevent or tame scarring. Give the wound all the attention it needs as soon as you can – or risk living with it forever.

Sacrifice Only When Worthy

It’s not worth losing sleep over anything undeserving of your sacrifice. Trivial tasks that won’t matter in twelve months should never warrant pain. If the little things do not add up to important big things, then set them aside and call it a day. Only kill yourself for the greater good, the higher context, and the meaningful mission. But please do not literally kill yourself – I do not recommend it.

Time Heals Wounds. Or Bad Memory? I Forget.

An old adage: “Time heals all wounds.” Not necessarily true if the variables of your life do not change. Good luck trusting the clock to wipe away your woes if your environment, friends, job, problems, and goals stay the same. It’s easier to get over an ex if you never see him or her; it’s particularly difficult to get over the ex if he or she is your neighbor. Your woes won’t leave you alone if they live next door.

The solution? Mix it up. Try new things. Keep busy. Move your life forward. Let someone else break your heart. After all, new wounds help you forget old wounds. I slap mosquito bites for the very same reason (addressing bites directly with a scratch only makes the irritation worse). Fresh pain makes the old pain seem far less imminent and important. Before long, you forget the old pain ever existed.

With enough practice and endurance, you can learn to move on without inducing new pain. Mosquito bites go away faster if you ignore them entirely. How about a new adage? “Selective memory heals all wounds.”