Happy Pain or Harmful Pain?

Pain is a signal—a red flag that something is wrong, pushing you to stop, rest, or retreat. But not all pain is the same. There is “happy pain,” that strange contradiction you sometimes experience during growth or intense effort. The difference between pain and discomfort is crucial, yet confusing the two is easy.

Climbing the Mountain

People tend to glorify the struggle. They talk about hustling through the most challenging parts, climbing to the top of the proverbial mountain, where, as legend tells us, people often falter just as they near their goal. It’s not because they weren’t strong enough. It’s usually because they don’t know when to stop or understand the difference between productive discomfort and dangerous pain. However, since only survivors tell their victory stories, the presented view is one-sided.

Every dead body on Mt. Everest was once a highly motivated person

This phenomenon, seen in mountain climbing, illustrates the point perfectly. Climbers often push toward the summit, even when their bodies are exhausted, and the conditions are deadly. They fall victim to “summit fever,” believing that stopping now would feel like a failure since they are so close. But this mindset can be fatal. Many die because they miscalculate their energy or resources, focusing too much on reaching the top and forgetting that descending safely is equally crucial. The danger increases at higher altitudes, where the air is thinner, the body is depleted, and decision-making becomes impaired. Pushing through warning signs in life can be just as dangerous.

Discomfort is not pain

Discomfort is the friction that leads to growth—like muscles burning after a workout or the mental strain of learning something new. It’s the sweat, the grind, the challenge. But pain, real pain, is different. It’s a warning that you’re pushing beyond what your body or mind can handle, heading toward injury or burnout.

We’ve become so good at avoiding pain that we’ve started to run from discomfort, too. That’s the problem. In doing so, we miss the growth that discomfort brings. We avoid challenges that stretch us because we fear that any struggle must be painful. But discomfort isn’t the enemy—our inability to distinguish it from pain is.

So, how do you know when to stop?

Learn to listen to your body and mind. When discomfort turns into a sharp, persistent signal—something that feels wrong, not just hard—that’s pain. Don’t glorify pushing through it. Know when to stop. Success is not about dying on the mountain; it’s about knowing how to climb it wisely, with strength and awareness, so you can reach the peak intact.

Maybe not today, but for sure later on.