Do You Still Favor a Side After the Pain Is Gone?
Have you ever found yourself favoring an arm, shoulder, or side of your body—even long after the injury healed? I have.
My body had wrapped itself in protective “armor” and developed new movement habits to shield the area. It didn’t feel like healing was complete until I addressed those habits.
Then a client used a metaphor that struck so deeply:
“It’s like a Rubik’s Cube.”
When you shift one piece to realign posture or behavior, another piece moves out of place. What looks like backward motion can actually be progress in disguise. This applies physically—and emotionally.
🧩 The Nail in the Head Metaphor
Graham Weaver, in his Stanford GSB Last Lecture, shares the metaphor of a “nail in your head.” He tells a story of a woman with a literal nail in her forehead. Painful, obvious—yet she insists there’s nothing wrong. The nail becomes her focus, her limitation. Until someone points it out.
Weaver suggests many of us carry internal “nails”—unresolved fears, ingrained beliefs, emotional wounds—that we protect at all costs, even though they’re causing us harm. Pulling them out can feel terrifying—but that very discomfort is the door to freedom.
Graham Weaver+1
🔧 The Realignment Process
Releasing your “nail” doesn’t happen overnight. Here’s a process to guide you:
- Acknowledge the nail
Name it—fear, grief, habit, old injury, limiting belief. - Accept the discomfort
Realignment may feel shaky. That’s part of the process. - Keep adjusting
Like solving a Rubik’s Cube, where one turn shifts the entire puzzle. - Trust the process
Over time the body, mind, and posture realign. Patience is part of the healing.
🗣️ When Shifts Are Felt — Acknowledging the Signals
- Physically: You may feel soreness, tension, or “offness” as your body rewires. This is often good—a signal that adjustments are underway.
- Emotionally: Working through deep issues can bring up waves of discomfort before things settle.
Discomfort is not evidence of failure—it’s proof that something is happening.
✨ How to Pull Your Nail
Weaver outlines three powerful strategies:
- “Take the nail out” — Face what’s limiting you
- “Follow your energy” — Do what restores you, not drains you
- “Go all in now” — Don’t wait until everything is perfect. Action is the medicine
Yes, it might feel painful at first—but that “worse before better” experience often signals the turning point.
🔄 Tying It All Together
- That postural habit you can’t break? The nail is still there.
- The emotional loop you replay? It’s time to pull out that hidden nail.
- Healing feels messy, like a Rubik’s Cube in motion—but each twist is progress.
Every time discomfort stirs, let it be a reminder: You are aligning. You are healing.