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Principle 5: No pain no gain
By nature, we go to what feels good and try to avoid pain. In that, we are no different than cows. Animals don't understand that a painful experience can be beneficial. Try to explain surgery to a cow! Pleasure and suffering are both part of life. But we get to choose which pleasures we want and which suffering we want. And the choice is either the false pleasure that lust offers us, or the pleasures that Hashem wants us to have – which are infinitely greater. Do we choose the pain of the spiritual “work-out” or the pain of the Yetzer Hara getting stronger?
As we brought in tool 1 of the handbook, the Steipler points out that anyone who keeps away from these forbidden pleasures is promised to receive the pleasures of life from other areas instead. And it follows that those who accept upon themselves the suffering that breaking-free entails, will save themselves much suffering in other areas of life.
If we decide that no matter how painful it is we won’t give in - even if we feel like we are dying, Hashem takes away the pain from us and it becomes much easier.