No Pain, No Gain

You’ve heard it a thousand times: “No Pain, no Gain”.

Growth, advancement, winning: They require a bit of unease, often a few scraped knees, occasionally a bruised ego, and some fatigue here and there. Sure, growth hurts. But is the pain necessary?

The adage so closely associates pain with progress that it's easy to confuse wounds, suffering, and even outright abuse with the necessary “pain” for growth. “No pain, no gain” becomes “All pain is necessary and/or permissible for gain”.

“No pain, no gain” is simply not true.
However, "All gain, some pain” is true.

In the latter, the pain ought to be an investment that promises a return of greater value than the debt. If we aren’t sure of the long-term return, we’re likely experiencing unnecessary pain.

Weigh the cost. Measure the return. Know the payout potential.
And don’t allow someone else to tell you if the pain is worth it.
Dig down. Only you can know.