No pain, no gain

There have been innumerable situations that have helped me grow, no doubt. I don’t think a particular one has contributed more than others. Collectively, the ones helped the most were when I had to overcome a very difficult situation. Particularly those that were painful. As the saying goes, no pain, no gain.

First semester in college

I mentioned the other day how difficult it was for me to enter college. But that was nothing compared to what was coming after. I naively thought that my studies would go in the same pace as it was in high school. I was sorely mistaken. The first semester was pretty much a disaster. I never got grades so low in my entire life, I got completely desperate, embarrassed and despondent. I didn’t fail all subjects. Actually I failed only one, but I didn’t get high grades on the other ones. That was a wake up call that I needed to study much harder than what I was used to.

Sixth semester in college

Half way through college, I had improved slightly. I knew what I needed to do to pass the exams, but barely. The sixth semester was a particularly hard one for me. I had recently started an internship where I worked during the day and had classes during the night. The assignments were particularly demanding and I was staying up all night studying to finish them. I was feeling exhausted. One afternoon, I was studying and talking with a friend. Suddenly, all kinds of emotions came rushing to me without any warning. I literally was crying and sobbing. It was being so hard to carry that weight.

It was good that I let my emotions run free that day. That friend was super cool, he consoled and supported me, I was badly needing it. After that I stood up and came back to the fight. I was surprised to see that I didn’t fail any course that semester, and my grades were significantly higher. I was noticeably growing up.

After college

I took those lessons to life. When the situation demanded sacrifice, I learned by then to step up. Within reason, I was prepared to run that extra mile to achieve my goals. I know that this isn’t a very popular view today. We normally avoid feeling any pain, ache or discomfort. But that is necessary for our growth, without it we are stagnant. Again, no pain, no gain.