Learning through Joy, Learning through Pain

I am always learning - about myself, about life, about other people, about the choices I have even when they don't really seem like choices.

I always think of the question:  Do I want to learn through joy or through pain? 

I have learned a lot through pain and while I don't CHOOSE pain as the catalyst for learning and growth, I do know that if there is pain and you have no choice but to experience the parts of life that are painful, the best way to ensure that all the suffering is not in vain is to try to learn something from it all.

I know that some lessons are unavoidable, so I am just waiting to figure out what this time is going to bring me.  I think one of the lessons is patience. One is about perfectionism. There are more; I just don't have a clear picture yet.