Pain
When I was young I taught myself to like pain, it made me train harder, made me focus and never give up. When I was hit, I tasted blood and fought harder. I constantly found myself joyously saying “is that all you’ve got?” There was a perverse pleasure in pain. As a matter of principle I would never, ever give up and you would have to kill me to stop me.

Now at 72yrs old I’m in constant pain, with an amputation and phantom leg pain, painful arthritis in both shoulders and remaining leg, prostate cancer and radiation treatment inflammation in the most personal places I have to deal with pain breath to breath.

So I use it to remain mindful, I still train in a powerful Tai Chi for at least an hour a day and every centimetre of movement hurts but I use it in a powerful, focused, mindful way. This way it’s positive, it builds a powerful spirit and a mind focused deeper than most will ever achieve.

So despite all the pain and problems, you have to kill me to stop me – and then I’ll probably haunt you!