The Law of Pain
Mar 02, 2026
Every problem introduces a person to himself."
― John McDonnell
In this next Powerful Connections mentoring group, we’re looking at The Law of Pain — the idea that we all face difficult moments, but we get to choose whether they grow us or discourage us. Life brings both good and hard, and while we can’t control everything, we can control our mindset.
I love this thought: Life happens for me, not to me.
When we believe that, the good becomes sweeter and the hard becomes useful.
Here are a few small ways to practice that this week:
• Look for the solution — there’s always a next step.
• Ask, “What opportunity is hidden in this challenge?”
• Treat failures as learning--post-it notes, bubble wrap and Wheaties cereal were all epic fails at first.
• Visualize a great outcome instead of the worst one. We know how to do this. We do it all the time when we worry--we visualize the worst case scenario.
Pain is inevitable. Growth is optional.
This week, let’s choose growth — even in the hard.
Reflection:
Where might life be working in your favor right now, even if it doesn’t feel like it yet?
With you in the journey,
Jan
Jan McDonald
Maxwell Leadership Certified Team
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