Getting Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable

I’d like to challenge everyone to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Now, that sounds like a strange thing to say, because basically our whole lives are geared around making us comfortable, right? Our houses are designed to make us comfortable with heating and air conditioning and all the modern amenities that we have, our cars, our cell phones in our pockets, all those things are just designed to make our lives comfortable, so why on earth would I make the suggestion that you should get comfortable with being uncomfortable? Because if you think about it, all of the things that you’ve ever done in your life that were hard or difficult or uncomfortable tended to make you a better person in the end, made you better at whatever that thing was that you were trying to do, right? I recently taught one of my kids how to tie their shoes, and when they first started, it was hard, it was difficult, it was something they were unfamiliar with and it was uncomfortable that they had to sit there and figure out how to make those bunny ears and cross the laces and everything and it was hard, it was difficult, but they kept at it, and they kept going, and now they can tie their shoes no problem, right? So, it’s one of those things that even the simplest of skills like tying your own shoes is something that at one point was really hard and difficult to you, and I’m sure we all went through that at some point, but the more you stick with it, the more you push through that uncomfortable feeling of doing that, the better you get, and then that thing, like tying your shoes, just becomes second nature, right? So, how do you become comfortable with being uncomfortable? The first step is pretty hard, but it’s the easiest thing that you can do. It’s just starting, or just showing up, whatever the thing is that you’re doing, right? It’s just getting started. It’s hard, but it’s also the easiest thing to just do. You just have to commit to it. You have to tell yourself in the back of your head, “This is something I’m going to do,” and then you just do it, alright, and starting sucks, right? Starting a diet, or an exercise, or even if you are going on a first date with somebody, or meeting someone for the first time, that nervous feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach, it sucks, it’s uncomfortable, but we all do those things because we know something good is probably going to come out at the end of it, or at least has that potential to come at the end of it. The next step that you need to focus on is sticking with it. Whatever the thing is that you’re trying to do, stick with it, ’cause starting isn’t enough. You get started with something and then you quit, that’s not enough, because you’re not making yourself any better by doing that. Now, sticking with it is harder than starting, because it takes more time, right? It’s hard to start, to convince yourself, “Yeah, this is something I need to do,” but sticking with it, that’s yourself constantly reminding yourself that, “I need to keep doing this.” It’s not just a onetime, “Let me take that first step.” It’s a step after step after step in order to continue doing whatever it is that you’re trying to get done. For example, the other morning, I woke up and it was pretty cold outside. Now, I live in the Phoenix area, so, and this is November, so it’s not super cold. There’s other colder places in the world, and I’m not trying to compare how cold it is here to how cold it is in Minnesota or something like that, but what I’m trying to say is that when I woke up that morning, I knew I was planning on going for a run, and so I got, I woke up, my alarm went off, and I was laying in my comfortable, warm bed, and I had no desire to get out of bed that morning. I just didn’t want to do it, ’cause I was comfortable. It was so much easier just to stay there and stay in bed and keep those warm blankets on me and everything and not get out of bed, but then I decided, “You know what, “I’m not going to get any better, I’m not going to get any faster, “I’m not going to lose any weight, “I’m not going to get all those benefits “that you get from running if I just stay in bed.” So I got out of bed, I put on my running shoes, and I got ready to go, and I got outside, and it was cold, and it was uncomfortable. Now cold to me, again, is not cold to a lot of people, and I get it, that’s fine, but at the time, the second I walked out that door, I walked out of my warm house into the outside where it was chilly, I kind of felt like I just wanted to turn around and go back to bed, but I didn’t, I kept going, because I knew that the benefit from that uncomfortable feeling of being cold and going on that run would benefit me in the long run. So I stuck with it, and as I’m running, my fingers started gettin’ that cold feeling that you get when you’re outside in the cold, and it would have been so much easier to just turn around and go back home, but I didn’t, I stuck with it, right? Now, the next step in getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is to push past your comfort zone, right? Just push through that barrier. Eventually, what you’re doing is going to become easy, like I mentioned with exercising. When you talk about exercising, you start off, you start lifting weights and your muscles are sore and everything hurts and you can barely move your arms after you do that first exercise or whatever, and it sucks, it’s uncomfortable, it’s that sore feeling, right, but eventually, you’re able to lift heavier weights, and eventually you muscles recover a lot faster, but that’s because you stuck with it. You stuck with it long enough that your muscles are now accustomed to the recovery that’s required, right, but you’re also able to push past that comfort zone. So if you start off with a 10-pound weight, and then you can push yourself to a 20-pound weight, and then to maybe a 30-pound weight, and so you’re pushing yourself and constantly pushing yourself past that comfort zone, and when all is said and done, you’re going to look back and realize that that wasn’t all that bad. You’ll be able to look back, once when you’re stronger at lifting those weights, you’ll be able to look back at that 10-pound weight that you started with, and you’ll be able to do that no problem, and you won’t even break a sweat doin’ it, and you’ll be wondering, “What was all the fuss about? “What did I even, why was I even considering quitting this? “This was so easy, and now I can do so much more,” alright? During the moment, you’re going to feel like it’s just way too much to handle, whatever the thing is. I’m using weight lifting as an example, but it could be anything. You might feel like it’s too much to handle, too overwhelming. Maybe there’s too much stress involved, maybe there’s too much sweat that’s goin’ into it, whether it’s exercising or whatever, but embrace that moment, that moment that you’re like, “It just feels like it’s too much, it’s too hard,” right? In a previous video, I talked about the concept of embrace the suck. Go watch that video if you’re subscribed to the YouTube channel. Go back and watch that video. The suck is what will make you stronger in whatever you’re doing. It will help you push past that comfort zone that we’re talking about, and eventually, you’re going to see improvements, right? You’re going to be able to go from that 10 to the 20 to the 30-pound weights, and even further if you keep pushing yourself. You’re going to see yourself getting stronger, or faster, or doing better at whatever the thing is that you’re working on, and you can build your confidence by going back, like I said, by going back and lifting that 10-pound weight. You can build your confidence in seeing how that thing that previously was super uncomfortable to you is really easy, and you’re like, “Wow, this wasn’t even a “thing that’s going to me me break a sweat now. “Let me keep going,” right? You’ll see how easy it is and you’re going to gain confidence in your abilities in whatever it is, and then do it all over again. Rinse and repeat, right? Just keep doing it, keep doing it. The more times you do something, pretty much anything, the better you’re going to become at it. So try pushing yourself the next time to achieve even bigger and better goals, and that’s how you can help yourself get comfortable with being uncomfortable.