“We can not only change our relationship with pain, we can change pain itself.” Sanjay Gupta, M.D., It Doesn’t Have to Hurt
That excerpt from Dr. Gupta’s new book got my attention! He elaborated on that claim by adding, “Pain and suffering can present in infinite ways, and yet we have tremendous control in choosing how we’ll respond. There are things we can start doing today -physically, nutritionally, mentally, and behaviorally- that can greatly reduce the chance of developing pain in the future. The brain creates pain, but it also has the capacity to profoundly change our experience of pain, reducing or even eliminating it.”
I’m anxious to finish the book, not just to get clues to lessen my own experience of pain but to further provoke my own sense of agency…the power to choose, the power to act and the power to influence my own life and circumstances. Look back at the longer quote in paragraph two and note Gupta’s references to agency…”we have tremendous control”, “choosing how we’ll respond”, “we can start doing today”, our “brain…has the capacity to profoundly change our experience…” Talk about empowerment!
How is your sense of agency? Here’s how you know you’ve lost agency:
• You’ve lost all hope in the resolution of your pain or struggle.
• You don’t trust yourself anymore.
• You feel paralyzed with choices.
• You’re too tired to act.
• You have become overly dependent on the guidance of others.
• You see yourself as a victim.
The opposite of agency is resignation, the sense that no matter what you do the outcome is already decided. Resignation is standing at the crossroads believing that every path leads to the same place, so you don’t take a step. Someone described a resigned person this way… “It’s as if they’ve laid down the pen of their own story and let the pages write themselves.”
I agree 100% with Dr. Gupta’s confidence that we, by exerting our own agency, can “profoundly change our experience of pain”. But I would go beyond his focus on physical health and include our emotional health, our behavioral health, our relational health, our financial health and our vocational health. We can exert agency…the power to shape our own path and influence our sense of purpose, vitality and worth in every area of our lives.
Maybe all you need to do that is a nudge or a push and a few suggested first steps. This is where we come in at Destinyworks. We exist to guide you into your path of purpose and a life that is surging with a new sense of vitality. In the weeks ahead, I will be revealing some rather significant changes coming to Destinyworks that will greatly expand the content we create and deliver. We continue to offer the powerful Calling Quilt™ coaching experience, through which we help individuals and groups grasp their calling and sense their destiny. But we will be expanding our offerings through the Well-being Project™…a simple, doable, repeatable process of expanding vitality throughout your entire life! Our team has grown, our coaching has expanded and now our content will come through some new exciting modes, including a new book! Stay tuned…big news ahead for Destinyworks!
In the meantime…how can we help you? Check out the new Destinyworks website and reach out if we can guide you to a deeper sense of purpose and vitality! And, as always, I’d love to hear how you are doing! Drop me an email sometime! And please forward this to anyone who, you feel, might benefit!
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson