Being Comfortable with Discomfort

William “Bud” Hart, of Haverhill, shares “Success Principles”—ideas for living a greater, better and more accomplished life, and building habits that stick. He also coaches clients to incorporate strategies for boosting their mental and physical performance during everyday living.

William “Bud” Hart, of Haverhill, shares “Success Principles”—ideas for living a greater, better and more accomplished life, and building habits that stick. He also coaches clients to incorporate strategies for boosting their mental and physical performance during everyday living.

I have a friend who had a very good job and made good money. The problem was much of the money was dependent on working overtime that came in inconsistent spurts. So there were times during the year when the overtime and the money to pay all the bills and also maintain the lifestyle this person wanted weren’t there. He knew he had to leave the job to make more money, but giving up existing security for an unknown situation with no guarantee of comfort was difficult.

I like to listen to people. Sometimes what I hear resonates immediately and I think, yeah that’s true. One particular bit of good advice came from a businessman talking about his own personal development. “About comfort,” he said, “I don’t let myself get TOO comfortable, because if I do I’ll stop advancing.” It’s true. When you are in a position where you are comfortable it is extremely hard to get yourself to move out of this zone.

I didn’t tell this friend what to do, but I did share what I’ve learned looking back on my life.

Here’s what I said;

Being comfortable is usually a good thing. But there’s a point at which being comfortable can be a bad thing and work against you (in your job, career, health, fitness and life in general). Honestly, you should always strive to feel a little uncomfortable, because that means you’re learning, growing, pushing yourself, and moving toward something better.

So how does one get comfortable with being uncomfortable?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said it well, “That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do has increased.

William “Bud” Hart is a certified “Mindset” Coach, Accountability Partner and Business Consultant. Founder of Hart Group, www.hartgroupma.com.