The old paradigm of being tough is to ignore the pain. Push through it.
In Do Hard Things, Steve Magness talks about how real toughness is about listening to the pain.
(Yes, I'm talking about this book again. It's an easy read and highly recommend it!)
Not listening to the pain can lead to injury or burn out. And in the end, it could damage your ability to do the things you are trying to do.
Today, I went on a run. I was planning to run 16km.
Before I had run 2km, my right knee started to hurt.
Do I tough it out and ignore the pain? That didn't seem wise.
I decided to listen to the pain. Listening to the pain doesn't necessarily mean stopping.
My knee was hurting. Why was my knee hurting?
I realized that it might be my gait. My foot falls were landing on my toes.
I tried adjusting my stride so that I was landing more on the balls of my feet. The wider part, just below the toes.
The pain went away.
If I tried to ignore the pain, I would have hurt myself. No doubt.
Around 5km, I started to feel tension in my thighs. I expect them to be tight but not this early in the run.
Listening to the pain, I realized I was pushing myself a bit faster than I intended. It was a run, but not a race.
I adjusted my pace. And the pain went away.
It was a hot day, so I slowed my pace some more. Not so much from pain but listening to my body.
In the end, I completed the 16km. Because I listened to my body. Listened to the pain.
It helped me finish the run without getting injured. Which wouldn't be the case if I had tried to ignore the pain and pushed through it.
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