Daily prompt: Depends how you look at it

Daily Prompt
Pains and Gains
Do you agree with Jane Fonda’s favorite exercise motto, “no pain, no gain?” Is it impossible to attain greatness without considerable hardship?

When I was in my teens, my eldest sister, who was studying philosophy, delighted in derailing my most passionate flights of fancy by demanding I ‘define my terms’. It drove me mad at the time, but I see her point.

What do you mean by pain and gain?

I mean, I’d find Jane Fonda’s exercise routine extremely painful because of the boredom factor, but someone else might find it the epitome of blissful Zen. Presumably we’d both gain that much-vaunted tone, but would mine be more valuable because I’d suffered for it?

Pain and gain are both relative, and they’re also subjective. And so is greatness.

What can I say?

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em. But however it comes your way, it’s not going to hang around for long unless you treat it with respect. Because to me, greatness has nothing to do fame, fortune, an entourage of paparazzi or even being the big frog in a pond, large or small. It’s about the sort of person you are.

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