Pain is information. As a child, I once touched a hot iron with my entire palm out of pure curiosity. That experience provided me with three pieces of important information. (1) curiosity killed my skin cells, (2) blind curiosity is dangerous, and (3) OUCH…

… that sucked.

If you’re at the gym and pushing for a new rep, you’re signing up for pain and something that’s hard. More accurately, it’s challenging.

If you’re in a toxic environment in a job that is energy draining, that just sucks.

Another way to tell the difference between hard and suck is to ask yourself - what is the pain teaching me? If it’s hard, you’re learning something. It’s challenging. If it sucks, you’re not learning anything.

Does the pain have a direction? Are you getting stronger? Is there deliberate recovery between reps and sets? Is there a plan?

Next time you’re deciding whether to stay or leave a situation, ask yourself - what is the pain teaching me? Is this hard, or does it suck? If it’s hard (challenging), you owe it to yourself to rise up to the challenge. If it sucks, know that feeling you have isn’t going to change. Don’t stay waiting for it to change.