CULTURE of Pain ____________.

Linking up with my Friend Kate on Five Minute Friday this week. Our word prompt is CULTURE. Now, five minutes of minimal edits and maximum thoughts on CULTURE.

Do I want to cultivate a CULTURE of Pain Avoidance? or a CULTURE of Pain Endurance?

If I spend my life avoiding pain,
trying to minimize pain,
rationalize self-comfort from pain,
or any other escape from walking forward through life's pain,

Then how much can I really grow?
Or set an example for ones who are watching me, learning from my responses to pain?

When I endure the pain, embracing the challenge of walking through it - I get strong, wise, tenacious, committed and focused on growing, healing and changing as I persevere.

What if that became the CULTURE I cultivated at home, with my family, friends and co-workers?

Rise up, face pain head on, moving forward, reaching for the other side -

The resolution of perseverance - becoming peace and freedom.

My experience has taught me, when I acknowledge and embrace pain I have more energy to learn and grow than I do if I spend all my energy running, coping, denying, or actively covering my pain.

Now, it's your turn to decide:

Do you want to cultivate a

CULTURE of Pain Avoidance?

or a

CULTURE of Pain Endurance?

My personal recipe for cultivating a CULTURE of Pain Endurance.