I tell my clients this quote all the time:

“Pain pushes until vision pulls.” (Michael Beckwith, founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center.)

So many of us walk around feeling empty, isolated, and stuck. We replay old wounds, identify with our suffering, and convince ourselves that this is all life has to offer. But here’s the truth — staying stuck is a choice. Having a vision for your life pulls you forward.

About two years ago, I took Michael Beckwith’s Life Visioning™ class, and it was truly life-changing. The process showed me that part of healing is not just about overcoming pain, but about using it to discover your soul’s purpose. That experience continues to shape how I guide others: pain is the push, but vision is the pull.

The Push of Pain

We can’t always control what causes our pain. The end of a marriage, the loss of a job, the death of a loved one — these moments arrive without our permission, and they shake the foundation of our lives. Pain comes uninvited, and it often feels unbearable.

But if we allow ourselves to sit with pain instead of running from it, it can become the very force that pushes us into the greatest version of ourselves. Pain strips away illusions, forcing us to see what truly matters.

Michael Beckwith reminds us that pain is not punishment — it’s feedback. It shows us where we are out of alignment, and it pushes us to ask deeper questions about who we are and what we are here to do.

When something doesn’t last — a relationship, a job, even a season of life — it’s often because we are no longer in alignment with that experience. What once fit us may no longer serve the person we are becoming. Pain pushes us out of what is familiar so we can grow into what is possible.

Spiritually, part of maturing is realizing the truth of impermanence. Everything changes. We are in a constant state of dying and evolving — shedding old identities, attachments, and roles. If we resist this truth, we stagnate. If we embrace it, we evolve.

 The Pull of Vision

If pain is the push, vision is the pull. Vision is what gives us direction when everything feels uncertain. It is the soul’s compass, guiding us toward healing, growth, and service.

Michael Beckwith teaches that vision is not about chasing goals or forcing outcomes. It’s about opening ourselves to the highest possibility life has for us. When we clarify a vision for our future, that vision becomes stronger than the pain. It begins to pull us forward into transformation.

Vision reframes our suffering. Instead of asking “Why me?”, Beckwith encourages us to ask: “What vision is seeking to emerge through me?” That shift moves us from victimhood to empowerment. Vision reminds us that our wounds can become wisdom, and our scars can become stories of strength.

My Personal Journey

Part of what my pain was trying to teach me was that I needed to stop dimming myself down. I needed to chase my vision and dreams. Instead of letting betrayal break me, I chose to let it make me. That shift revealed that part of my purpose is to share with others how to heal from betrayal — to remind them that pain doesn’t have to define you, it can refine you.

 Practical Steps for Life Visioning™

Michael Beckwith’s Life Visioning™ Process offers a way to move from pain into purpose:

1. Create Sacred Space – Sit in stillness and open yourself to guidance.

2. Ask Empowering Questions – “What is the highest vision for my life?”

3. Listen Deeply – Allow intuitive answers to arise.

4. Affirm and Align – Write down the vision and take daily steps toward it.

5. Release Resistance – Let go of limiting beliefs that keep you stuck.

6. Commit to Service – True vision always includes serving others.

 Closing Reflection

Michael Beckwith’s wisdom reminds us that pain is not the end of the story. “Pain pushes until vision pulls.” When we choose to step into vision, we move from victimhood to empowerment, from suffering to service.

Taking his Life Visioning™ class two years ago showed me firsthand that healing is not just about overcoming pain — it’s about using it to discover your soul’s purpose.

Your pain is not the end. It is the beginning of your purpose. And as Beckwith teaches, vision is the force that will pull you into the life you were meant to live.