WorldWide Drilling Resource

36 NOVEMBER 2013 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® The Un-Comfort Zone II by Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. Is Pain a Motivator? I feel your pain; actually it’s mine, and it helps me understand yours. The summer of 2013 was the sum- mer that never happened - for me at least. It started out normal enough, maybe a bit too much rain, but I was excited to finally have some warm weather to get some work done around the house. I had quite a to-do list...an even longer one for my business. Then two weeks in, I found myself laid up with both feet injured. It was my own fault. I was invited to play in a fathers vs. sons baseball game, and not want- ing to embarrass my son, I played hard. Too hard. I woke up the next day with a small pain, which I chose to ignore. I figured I could “tough it out,” and I con- tinued on with my daily routines. Instead, I made it worse and the increasing pain motivated me to go see my doctor. I ended up having surgery. For seven weeks, I became a prisoner in my home. I was unable to walk or drive, and I became dependent on my sons and fiancée for assistance. During that time, I experienced a lot of pain. I had to keep my feet elevat- ed, braced, and iced. Unfortunately, I was unable to fully avail myself of pain medication because I have a low toler- ance for it (over-the-counter ones upset my stomach, and the prescription ones put me to sleep). So, for the most part, I had to tough that out too. Needless to say, all my plans were tabled, and I ended up with a lot of time...to think. And, perhaps naturally enough, I started to think about whether or not pain is a motivator. Over the years, as I have written this column, I have often thought I should address pain as a motivator. However, each time I thought about it, the first image to pop into my head was Ben Hurr chained to an oar in a Roman gal- ley, being whipped by the boatswain. Then I thought, “Sure, everybody knows that avoidance of pain is a motivator.” Of course, most of us know pain is a warn- ing signal to stop doing what we’re doing; which, as mentioned, I chose to ignore. Constant pain, however, is not very motivating. In fact, I found it to be quite the opposite. At first I thought, “Good, I can’t go anywhere or do anything; I’ll be able to catch up on all my writing projects.” But, the pain was simply too distracting. I couldn’t focus - worse - the pain made me feel so bad I couldn’t muster my usual creative energy. Instead, I found myself doing things that took my mind off the pain, like watching tel- evision or reading. American humorist, Will Rogers, understood this when he said, “Pain is such an uncomfortable feeling that even a tiny amount of it is enough to ruin every enjoyment.” My pain, or perhaps the weeks of cabin fever, did motivate me toward some long-term goals. I decided once I was better I would take a yoga class to strengthen my joints and tendons, so this would not happen again. I also researched foods and supplements that would do the same. The good news is I didn’t suffer from great pain, and I knew all along it was temporary. But, I started thinking about people who have extreme and chronic pain, and how seriously demo- tivating it can be. As Samuel Johnson, the 18th century English essayist once observed, “Those who do not feel pain seldom think that it is felt .” Through my own pain, I was beginning to develop some empathy for those who live with it everyday. As I review my summer of pain, in the beginning it took a while, but even- tually it motivated me to seek medical attention. The longer term pain I expe- rienced was demotivating and kept me from achieving even my most sedentary goals. On the other hand, it did encour- age me to make some lifestyle changes (we’ll see how long those last). And, it gave me empathy for people who suffer chronic pain. I’d like to further explore the moti- vational factors of pain, so next time, I’ll write about whether or not psychic pain (emotional pain) drives us to make changes in our lives. Robert Robert is an author, humorist, and innovation consultant. He works with companies that want to be more com- petitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert, visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com or contact him via e-mail at admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com -32* &; = 3'.0* 1&.0 /('.768440< <&-33 (31 &00 86 35 9.6.7 86 &7 .57 .,,*5 2*: &2) 86*) '. 76 1&7 5 .; &2) 67**0 '3)< 7 0 & 6 3 4 ( 3 :35/39*5 7337- &2) '87732 '.76 *&5 0&: 855.(&2* &2) -314 1. 0 06 +35 (*1*27 1*7&0 &2) (31436.7* 408,6 5&, '.76 &2) /*00< '.76 !$" ! % # ! ! #