Pains worth enduring

I obviously have a hell of a reading backlog, as this is from the Jan/Feb issue of Men's Health. Still some good stuff (full list here). I've experienced many of these... some are good stories, some not-so-good. Either way, I'd like to think I came out of each a better man.

- Going all in, and losing. Your rush will fade as fast as your hopes--and remind you that gambling is actually nothing more than entertainment you can control the duration of. Why hurry?

- Buying a Saladshooter. Even a strong man can succumb to a late-night huckster. The useless plastic doohickey you bought still serves a purpose, though. It's hard evidence that many thing in life really are too good to be true.

- Dating a high-maintenance bombshell. She'll drain your savings and sap your sanity. Then you'll learn why a woman who looks good in sweats and loves Chinese takeout is a keeper.

- Drinking green beer. Yeah, we love St. Patty's, too. But once you try the holiday booze and its novelty wears off, you can move on to a more authentic fare. Ask the 'tender to pull you a Beamish or pour you two fingers of Redbreast. You'll enjoy what you're drinking (for once) and look way more debonair in photos.

- Taking all-you-can-eat wing night literally. Oh, the heartburn! Cramping! Stinging toilet sessions! There's not better endorsement of moderation than a Kobayashi-size food hangover.

- Lying to your mother. If you always told your mom the truth about where you were going, you never would have touched your first breast.

- Training poorly, then competing anyway. Sure, you should have worked up to a taper before that 10-K road race. Probably should have stretched better, too. But there's nothing like being passed in the stretch by that 52-year-old, 14th-place masters-class finisher to motivate you the next time out.