Long-distance competitors will talk about the pain barrier, a point in any race where your body feels that it can no longer continue because of the fatigue and pain one feels. Breathing is heavy, muscles ache, cramp sets in, and your body wants to quit. Or at least the mind.
That is the very point when runners know they need to push through. It is the opportunity to confront the pain and move beyond the pain threshold. Inevitably, in most instances, once the runner breaks the barrier and continues, there is a sense of mental revival and physical renewal.
Similarly, in many complex tasks of a longer-term nature, we will hit that pain barrier when we begin to ask ourselves if we can continue. It may seem simple to quit, and who will question you after such gallant efforts thus far?
Or you could persevere and confront the challenge head-on and work through it. Of course, once we overcome the obstacle, we will find a new lease of energy and likely be better prepared for the next ‘pain barrier’ we face, with the full knowledge that we can overcome it, because we have before.
