Ouch! But also, hmmmm.

When an unexpected jolt of pain disrupts your stride, what to do? Storytime:

My new year has had an interesting start. Tropics. Training. Thriving. It's been quite a transformative time for me. However, one of the most common experiences occurred that stunted this momentum. I stubbed my toe. And without further details, it left quite a mark on my nerves and flesh. Of course I followed RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate) to accelerate the healing.

The shock of the pain has since calmed but after that initial impact, I was left lingering.

Funnily enough, this prompted a lingering thought. How was this painful experience a parallel to how we navigate our processes and ultimately, our productivity? We often hear the term pain point. But what does that really mean?

Scientifically speaking when we experience pain, receptors send a signal through our nerve system to our body's mainframe (aka " the brain") that something is not right here. It is registered with the brain, processed, and perceived that the sudden sensation is pain. However, business jargon defines this term as a persistent inconvenience or recurring problem. Well, isn't that interesting. If a person suffered from chronic pain, it too would be considered a persistent and recurring problem.

Looking closely, the overlap between physical bodily pain and business pain points is the scale of inconvenience and frequency.

Thus, even though my stubbed toe was a one time occurrence (I hope!), it still triggered enough of an inconvenience to register with me that adjustments are necessary so as to not repeat it. And this registered intel in processed very similarly in business. Enterprises register their customers' repeat dissatisfaction, process this insight, and perceive how they can remedy these recurring problems using the resources available to them.

Can I be as abstract to say that the processes found in physical pain of the body also mirror those of pain points experienced in business? In life as in business, the pain points you experience can be short-lived or chronic. The processes you put in place are essential for either preventative or fast-acting remedies in determining their reoccurrence.

Have I resigned to wearing only -tipped shoes at all times now? No. But I'm far ore preventative nowadays to causing recurring inconveniences for myself.