We all love to be comfortable. We all possess a natural inclination to stick with the status quo and resist the unknown. It gives us a sense of ease and convenience. It’s the easy option isn’t it?
Do you hide away from tough issues, refuse to take risks or steer clear of difficult conversations at home or work? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, you’re probably comfortable. If you stay comfortable you will never grow as a person or achieve any of those dreams or goals. Can you honestly say you are happy with that outcome?
If you want growth, or success and to be resilient, being uncomfortable is the way to go! Putting yourself in uncomfortable positions will challenge you. They will push you, but you will gain mental toughness and become stronger by doing it.
We’ve all experienced uncomfortable situations. Whether it’s starting a new job, learning a new skill, speaking in front of a large group of people or sharing an opinion that you care about. It’s important to constantly challenge ourselves by stepping out of our comfort zones. Although it’s necessary, it’s never easy!
I was comfortable in the Army. I got paid every month and found the work relatively easy. Making the decision to leave and set up my own business was exciting, however it put me way outside of my comfort zone. I constantly worried about whether I would be able to make a success of my business or earn money from it. I worried about what people would say. Once I worked out how to put that to one side and focussed on being outside of my comfort zone, there was no stopping me.
So how do you become comfortable being uncomfortable……..
Don’t wait for the perfect time.
Saying just get on with it doesn’t really help, but there really is no perfect time. You will always find an excuse to put whatever ‘it’ is off. Find out your ‘why’, write it down and get on with it. When the negative monkey on your shoulder starts telling you that you can’t do it, give it a slap. If you find yourself struggling, read your ‘why’ to remind yourself about why you started this.
Acknowledge the situation.
You have to fully understand what you are committing to. Why do you feel uncomfortable? What is making you anxious? What can you do to help deal with those feelings? What’s the worst thing that could happen, but also what’s the best thing that could happen? Fear and anxiety are normal reactions to discomfort. We all feel them but don’t run away from them. Embrace them, acknowledge that they are natural human reactions and work out how to get past them.
Embrace failure.
To succeed at anything in life you must be willing to fail (sometimes numerous times). Cast your mind back to the first time your rode a bike. Did you take those stabilisers off and nail it first time? No, I bet you didn’t, but you did keep getting back up and giving it another go because you had the determination to crack it. You have to get comfortable with failure in order to succeed.
Recognise your successes.
It’s important to recognise how far you have come. Confidence plays a huge part in getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Remind yourself of the things that you have done that make you proud. Give yourself a pat on the back. Progress is progress, not matter how small!
Remember…..
No one is comfortable with being uncomfortable.
You can’t push your limits when you are comfortable.
You can’t push your limits when you do the same thing every day.
You can’t push your limits when you don’t reach for the stars!
What are you waiting for? Take the leap of faith. Make the Change. Not tomorrow. Not next week, but NOW.
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Chris
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