The difference between pain and injury

Often times in sports, you’ll hear someone say there’s a difference between Pain and Injury.

The problem is, they never explain what the difference is. Pain, as we define it, is an unpleasant feeling or discomfort. Injury is defined as damage or harm caused to the structure or function of the body caused by an outside or force.

Sports metaphors mirror life so often it’s nearly impossible not to use them time and time again.

I meet so many people that mistake pain for injury in life. Everytime I talk with someone, they lay out to me all of the unpleasant feelings or discomfort they have in their life. They take the pain they are experiencing and turn it into an injury that sidelines them from moving forward in their life.

Pain is a natural part of life. You can’t have pleasure unless you go through the pain.

Injury by definition is caused by an outside force. More so often than not, we immediately want to point out that our life is where it is by circumstances and outside forces against us. The harsh reality that we refuse to look at, or even take responsibility for, is that it is our own fault. Believe it or not we would rather fake the injury in life than take on the pain of what is real. Now I know that what you are asking yourself right now is: - “That is easy for you to say. You have no idea what my life is like”.

Well that maybe true, but it also may not be true. While there may be no real way to know, the reality is that we fake injuries to avoid the pain of what is real more often than we care to acknowledge. Being real with ourselves is one of the most painful things we may ever take on. But it also yields the biggest pleasure you may ever experience. From time to time we will all experience pain, which is a part of life. Understanding the difference between pain and injury is a critical factor in the decisions we make with our life. An injury keeps you on the bench watching and wishing you could be out there. Pain is unpleasant but still allows you to play, and most importantly Win! If you don’t play you can never win. What do you want to do? Fake the injury or play with pain?

Remember be positive, be real, and live your life In The Zone.