Le Weekly #31 – No Pain 👟

One quote, one word, one shoutout, one story, one neigh from Philosophical Horse and one question.

Greetings everyone. Happy Monday!

Take a moment to reflect on each snippet. Comment your thoughts below.

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Le Quote 🗣

“Don’t worry, it’s going to work out.” – Elius.

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Le Word 💬

step (verb) a movement of putting one leg in front of the other in walking or running.

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Le Shoutout 🧣

Jack Stead is a student at Red & Yellow. Over the past three weeks, he worked on a group project that required a creative solution to a marketing strategy.

The project started well, but as the days ticked past, things started getting hairy. The group received feedback that their visuals weren’t working. Time was running out, and everyone started stressing.

Except for Jack.

Jack, calm and collected, started drawing something on a piece of paper. After a few minutes, he put his pen down, turned around in his chair, and placed the piece of paper in front of everyone.

There was a communal gasp. Not only was Jack’s drawing awesome (and unexpected), but it also contained a creative solution that could be used going forward.

He quietly presented his idea and never looked back.

Shoutout Jack.

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Le Story ✍️

Yesterday, Richard Freund arrived in Camps Bay. The plan was to run five kilometres, starting Sunday strong.

After a quick warm-up, he got going.

I ran alongside him.

The first kilometre went well.

The second kilometre went well.

The third kilometre was going well until the halfway mark arrived. As we turned around to head back to Camps Bay, one of the most formidable sights in Cape Town appeared: the Biskop Steps, a concrete staircase of 301 steps that towers over Camps Bay.

As soon as the Biskop Steps entered our vision, we knew we needed to tackle them.

Huffing and puffing, we enjoyed every step, knowing the burn in our legs would strengthen us going forward. 301 steps later, we reached the top. After a quick breather, we headed back down again, passing runners as we went.

“I’m going to run up the stairs like you!” a large Zimbabwean man laughed, encouraging us.

“No pain, no gain!” I teased in response.

Then, out of nowhere, a runner ran past us with a slogan on his shirt.

“More pain, more gain,” it said.

Right there, on the Biskop Steps, the spectrum of life appeared:

No Pain, No Gain <–––––––––––––––––––> More Pain, More Gain.

These two sayings differ in meaning. One is reassurance in times of trouble, while the other is motivation in times of stagnancy.

“No Pain, No Gain” reminds you that whatever struggles you’re going through, you will grow as a result, while “More Pain, More Gain” reminds you that you can choose to subject yourself to some challenges in life if you want to grow.

So, if you’re struggling with something in life at the moment, just know that gold is purified in the crucible.

And if you aren’t struggling with anything and feel like you’re not growing as a person, consider adding a metaphorical Biskop Steps to your next metaphorical five-kilometre run and feel your metaphorical leg muscles burn instead.

Back you.

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Le Neigh from Philosophical Horse 🐴

“Neigh.” – Philosophical Horse.

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Le Question 🤔

What helps you grow as a person?

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Have a great Monday, everyone!

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