A common aphorism is "no gain without pain". This aphorism is actually quoted by Benjamin Franklin in the "Poor Richard's Almanac". I have found this aphorism to hold true in my life. I have yet to find a time in gaining something without some sort of pain. My greatest example is in track. I run track, and there is no way I could gain by minimizing my times in track if I did not have any pain. Conditioning for track is extremely brutal and very painful, but for me it is worth it. Without conditioning for track I could not experience the great joy of cutting down time in my races and being able to contend for first place in my races. This example of "no gain without pain" seems to be quite extreme, but there are many other examples of it.
I sincerely have found that there is almost no gain I can make without pain, even if it is the smallest gain. If I gain a friendship, there still is some small pain involved in that, because I sacrifice my selfishness for putting my friend's needs before my own. If the gain is good grades in school, you must first face the pain of hard labor and a good work ethic. If it is gaining a good reputation, you must endure the pain of having good character. It sounds strange to say that having good character is painful, but good character is not easy to have. It is something that you must work at. To me, it really seems like you cannot make a gain without some form of pain, and there are countless examples I could give to show that to be true.
I believe that Franklin was correct in saying "no gain without pain". "It has definitely held true in my life and for that matter, I believe this aphorism to be true.
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