“If you forget your shocking pain, you will have to repeat it. Remember it. Let’s say something ‘good’ happens in the exterior world. For example, you get a raise. You then forget the pain you had before you got the raise, so you are right back where you started. The next time you feel psychological pain, you will stay with it. If you stick with it, it will go away of itself, which is not a distraction. You are going to remember it as long as you can. If it comes back, you are going to stay with it and remember it.”–Vernon Howard

The quote above is talking about psychological pain; however, I want to include physical pain because they both can shift by having our attention on them. In addition to remembering our pain as Vernon has said, it is important to be with the pain and not resist. Unfortunately, many of us are not ready for life’s biggest challenges, particularly our physical and emotional pain. Unfortunately, these kinds of life skills are usually not taught to us as kids because our parents do not have them. Our built in fight or flight mechanism kicks in and we think that resistance will be the easier path. This is not usually a conscious choice but automatic and suffering becomes the new way of life.

Suffering comes from how we think about our pain and not the pain itself. Therefore, you do not have to suffer. It will need a radical change in perception about pain to eliminate your suffering. However, once you are able to accomplish this change then you can use this new way of thinking in any area of your life to mitigate and eliminate suffering.

Pain is a teacher and it has come to teach. Question not, because you are ready, otherwise it would have not shown up. Do not resist the teacher because when you resist it says to the Universe I DO NOT HEAR YOU or I DO NOT WANT TO LEARN THIS NOW. The Universe always operates in perfect order another radical change in perspective may be needed here. Naturally, the Universe in its perfection, responds with the same message only this time it is bigger and louder. Everyone has experienced the effects of resistance on this planet. Most of the world reaches for resistance first and then wonders why they are suffering so much. Remember, whatever you resist, will persist and intensify.

Do you recognize that everyone and everything in this universe is pure energy? From the thoughts you have, to the car you drive. When you think something, you are sending energy out into the universe, a direct communication to God. The response you get back is in relation to the energy you send out. There is not someone up there thinking is this the right response to send back. We are not in the universe as we think a fish is in the ocean. We are the universe just as a drop of water is the ocean. We co-create everything with the Universe because we are the Universe. We are to God as a drop of water is to the ocean, forever one forever connected.

See your pain as a teacher and begin to look for the lesson(s). See your pain as an opportunity. Yes that’s right an opportunity to grow and change. Pay attention to what you are thinking and let go of any thoughts that do not support your healing. Stop resisting and focusing on what you don’t want and start focusing on what you do want. Let go of the conditioned idea that life is to be lived without pain and look for the opportunity that it brings you.

Look at what you have already learned over the years from your painful experiences. Think back and find the positive lessons that pain has brought to your life. I promise you they are there. If you are still suffering from something in the past, it is time to let it go. How has it helped your life? Are you ready to let it go? If the answer is yes, then now is the time to begin healing.

If thou shouldst say, “It is enough, I have reached perfection,” all is lost. For it is the function of perfection to make one know one’s imperfection. – Saint Augustine