Unlocking your unleashed life is not for the faint of heart. It requires a willingness to reawaken things inside you that may have lain dormant for years. But there’s often pain associated with waking up. Let’s dive into this idea a little deeper.

Welcome to Success Sundays with Harrison. I’m your host, Harrison Wilder, a corporate strategist and entrepreneur. I hold an executive MBA from George Washington University and have managed multimillion-dollar companies while advising top-level executives. If you’re serious about developing your skills as a leader in today’s business environment, you’re in the right place.

My Personal Journey with Pain and Awakening

I remember waking up for the first time after lung surgery when I was just a child. Coming out of surgery was fine at first, but once different parts of my body started to wake up, pain quickly followed. I was grateful to know that I had access to pain medication through a spinal tap. All I had to do was press the red button, and the medicine would flow, dulling the discomfort.

But what I didn’t realize at that age was that the medicine wasn’t removing the pain—it was just putting parts of my body to sleep. Not just the painful areas, but nearly all of me. I became groggy, immobile, and unable to focus. My body was “asleep,” and in some ways, so was my mind.

Eventually, I went home with more pain relievers, continuing to numb myself from the discomfort. For weeks, I couldn’t tell the difference between the pains from surgery and the side effects of the medication. This went on for months, and in many ways, I was no longer myself.

That summer, I missed out on life. I had tutors come to help me finish school, but I couldn’t focus. I was supposed to attend summer camp but couldn’t muster the energy. That summer, I was asleep, and those months are now a lost period of my life that I’ll never get back.

The Pain of Unfulfilled Dreams

This story reminds me of someone I call “Confined Carl.” Carl, like my younger self, was avoiding pain, but in his case, it was the pain of failure. He once pursued his dreams but fell short, and that failure intensified his pain. Now, Carl avoids chasing his dreams altogether.

Have you ever put your best effort into something only to fail? The pain of that experience is something many of us would do anything to avoid, even for our children. But by mashing that “red button” to avoid pain, Carl has spent years asleep, unable to tolerate the natural discomforts of being awake and alive.

Before you continue reading, I need you to know that I’m going to attempt to awaken some things inside of you that may have lain dormant for some time. Your instinct will be to resist, but to live like “Unleashed Larry”—someone who embraces life’s challenges—you have to face the potential pain head-on.

The Bible beautifully says, “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” You may have to remind yourself that living life asleep is the real pain—a slow death where dreams and desires are kept in check, leaving you to coast through life without focus. It’s not wise. In Ephesians, it tells us, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.”

Stop Numbing Yourself—Start Living

The message is clear: stop self-medicating to avoid discomfort. Trust that God will carry you through any pain you might face and, in return, bring you joy and fulfillment as you pursue your dreams.

Years after my first surgery, I had the same procedure on my other lung. But this time, I approached it differently. I told the doctors, “Do what you need to put me to sleep for the surgery, but I don’t want any narcotics.” I didn’t want to miss out on my life again because I had just started my MBA program, and I had a family to be present for. You can’t deny that I was nervous about the pain but I wanted to face it head-on.

Incredibly, I experienced hardly any pain during the second surgery. I was only in the hospital for one night, and I remember waking up, standing in front of the window as the sun came in, and singing a song of gratitude. The pain I feared so much wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought, and I realized how foolish it was to have spent an entire summer asleep to avoid that small amount of discomfort.

Success Challenge of the Week

I want to encourage you to wake up to the parts of your life that have fallen asleep. It’s not going to be as bad as you think. If you allow it, God will carry you through any pain you might face, leading you toward the joy He’s prepared for you.

Here’s your success challenge for this week. Take out a sheet of paper open up your laptop and start journaling. Be bold and write down the dreams you’ve had that you’ve let slip away—things you’ve really wanted to do or become. Visualize yourself achieving those dreams. It may be painful at first, but it’s time to start living again

As Romans tells us, “The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber because your salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.”

If you have any questions or need advice, drop them in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you and address your thoughts in future episodes. For now, go out and face the day awake and ready for what’s ahead.

And don’t forget, effective communication builds great leaders and great businesses. For more resources, visit SpeakingSchool.com, and grab my Elite Business Success Toolkit for free.