If you’ve ever set a lofty goal or wanted to accomplish something a little beyond your capabilities, then more than likely you have felt the pain of discipline in working toward your goals. If you’ve ever given up or quit working to achieve your goals, then you’ve definitely felt the pain of regret.

Nike has made a living with the mantra “Just Do It.” Just Do It speaks to the pain of discipline side of the equation. Now I’ve noticed that one of Nike’s new mantras has crossed the line to the regret side of the phrase with their new mantra of “You think training is hard? Try losing.” You should know that I love this phrase just like I loved the Just Do It phrase. I love being motivated by words that get to the point quick and are in your face with an ultimate challenge. Training is hard, but it’s not as hard as losing. And what’s worse than losing is losing knowing that you could have succeeded if you had put in the extra time or energy needed to accomplished your goal. But now you’re feeling the pain of regret. Now you’re feeling both the pain of losing and the pain of regret. And that’s a hard feeling to feel.

Nike sold us the in-your-face challenge and dared us to stop complaining about the hard work on the road to preparing for whatever event or goal that’s in front of us. We’ve been raised with winning but we sometimes forget winning is a process. Winning just doesn’t happen; you can’t just show up and find the gold medal around your neck. You’ve got to put in the work and prepare before you can expect to win.

If you don’t have the discipline to save money, then you’ll feel the pain of regret when an emergency comes up (and they always do). The pain we as parents inflict on our kids in teaching them right from wrong, teaching them manners or why it’s important to choose the right friends is an investment in discipline so in 10 years we don’t regret failing to teach them these important life lessons.

If you have ever tried to eat healthier or tried to diet to lose weight, then you may have experienced the pain of either discipline and/or the pain of regret.  I know I’ve heard the Baskin Robbins peanut butter and chocolate ice cream (my personal weakness) call me at night from the freezer tempting me to have a scoop or two … or six. That compromising of eating the ice cream has lead to the regret of getting on the scale and feeling the pain of knowing I’ve given up or compromised my goal of eating healthier. It’s not easy and we’ve all been there.

Understanding that there is a process to every goal you set out to do is important. Being able to articulate it in a phrase or a mantra that will motivate you to do the work to accomplish your goal is something I subscribe to. So enjoy feeling the pain of discipline, because if you don’t, remember, you will feel the pain of regret.