My dad is a funny guy.

A quick wit.

When I was a kid, I remember going to him and saying,

“Daddy, it hurts when I press on my arm.”

He would just smile and say,

“Stop pressing on your arm.”

Problem solved.

Fast-forward decades later and my mentor David used to say,

“No pain, no growth.

No growth, no chance to win.”

David taught me about the relationship between pain and winning.

And the relationship between pain and loss.

He would say,

“Kid, it’s going to hurt either way. So, you might as well do the work to win.”

He was so right.

I have failed in life more than I want to acknowledge.

I’ve also had some victories.

The pain of losing is emotional.

It’s tied to our ego.

It happens after the loss.

We sit with it.

Ruminate on it.

Cling to it.

The pain of winning, on the other hand, happens before the victory.

Pain is part of the process.

Listen to any high achiever and when asked about the keys to victory, they will likely say some form of these words.

“We need to trust the process.”

“We’ve put in the work to prepare, now we need to execute.”

“This is what we’ve been training for.”

High performers understand that the pain is what creates growth.

It builds confidence.

It makes us strong.

The pain of winning is tied to three key areas. Champions own this work in every arena and endeavor.

1. Preparation:This is the hardest thing to get gifted people to understand. Regardless of talent, it takes work to prepare down to the granular level. Extreme focus on the details of your plan, your competitors and the conditions are vital to the process of giving yourself the best chance to win. This is the mind game that the GOATS master 100% of the time.

1. Conditioning: This is where the real pain is measured. When no one is watching, and you are putting in the reps. In early and out late. Grinding. Focused. Intense. It’s the kind of pain that only champions understand. You can’t even explain it to other people because it doesn’t make sense to them. It’s a different level that most cannot comprehend.

1. Execution:On the field of battle, you will get beat up. You will have to dig deep and lean on your preparation and conditioning. Knowing that you’ve outworked everyone on the field. You've left nothing to chance and left it all on the field. The prize is within reach. It is yours to take.

Are you going to win every time?

No.

Are you going to win more times than not?

Absolutely.

To win in business, life or anywhere else it's going to hurt.

But losing hurts more and robs you of your true potential.

So, if it’s going to hurt either way, you might as well do the work to win.

Pain is temporary. Legacy is forever.

Kevin D. Brown is a branding and culture expert. He’s an award-winning motivational storyteller, bestselling author, and the creator of The Hero Effect®.