Scott Perry argues that suffering invites purpose, sensemaking, and personal growth for those pursuing vocation and making a difference. Pain becomes meaningful when it connects to work that matters.
Welcome to Monday on Purpose presented by Creative on Purpose Live. I'm your host, Scott Perry, Chief Difference Maker at Creative on Purpose. Every Monday I share a bit of insight and inspiration to help you heed the call of vocation, to find the difference only you can make, and live your legacy. Today's episode is The Virtues of Suffering: The Call to Meaning. Here we go. We live in an age where some capitalize on the false promise that you can navigate all of life's uncertainties and adversities without pain and suffering. What utter balderdash! Pain and suffering are inevitable conditions that will be visited upon each and every one of us many times throughout our life's journey. Instead of ignoring or avoiding these moments, perhaps we should embrace them. Pain is physiological. It's a call to address a hurt before it does you further harm. When pain arises, you should heed its call and address the source of your pain. Suffering is psychological. It's a psychological affliction. I'd argue it's also a spiritual plight. Suffering raises questions about the meaning of your condition. Pain is real. Suffering is A story. Choose your story, choose your future. To be free of suffering is to be disengaged from the pursuit of finding purpose in all of life's richness and complexities. A life without suffering would also be a life without joy. If suffering isn't required to live a good life, why do all of humanity's spiritual and philosophical traditions spend so much time trying to help us learn from it? Suffering is an invitation. It reminds us that certainty and reassurance are futile and asks us to embrace the fullness of life with wonder, curiosity, and awe, and lean into sensemaking with integrity, intention, and rigor. To run or hide from suffering is to diminish ourselves and act the victim. To embrace suffering and lean into and through it is to expand our consciousness and engage our heroic soul. I know, heeding suffering's call is hard. I fail to heed its call more often than I care to admit. However, ignoring or avoiding the inevitable risks and conflicts in a Difference Maker's adventures robs us of the meaning of being on the journey in the first place. How can you help yourself not forget the journey? A mission? A guide? Fellow travelers? What else? Thanks for tuning in to Monday on Purpose. If you like what you heard, check out the blog and other broadcast episodes at creativeonpurpose.com. If you're listening on iTunes, consider leaving a 5-star review, subscribing, and sharing this episode with a friend. Thanks for the difference you make. Let's keep making things better together.
Stoics Don't Suppress Emotions, They Do This Instead #stoicism #emotionalintelligence #mindset
