Significance Is In The Pain

How do I know I am doing something worthwhile or significant?

This was a question that one of my young colleagues asked me today during a business review this afternoon.

Tell me something you have done in your life that you are super proud about? I asked her.

Doing my undergraduate program at a US University with a full scholarship and not burdening my parents, she responded instantly.

Was it an easy ride, or did you have to work hard? I probed.

Her answer was clear: Oh, I had to put in a lot of study hours, late nights, and tons of hard work.

Well, then, you certainly know what it means to achieve something significant. It’s a bit like the pain you experience when you lift weights in the gym. The pain is an indicator of the effort you are putting in and the body strength you are building, I said.  

All worthwhile initiatives will have some pain associated with them. Nothing significant is ever achieved without sacrifice, risk-taking, or emotional pain being encountered. When you go through the pain and come out on the other side, you will know that you have achieved something of significance.