We have a tendency to want to me comfortable at what we are doing. We avoid doing the things we find difficult. The err in this is that we never get better.
I often like to post what I call “life-lessons brought to you by the sport of wrestling”. Recently, Wrestling Mindset shared a meme (they frequently provide me with these “life-lessons”): “It never gets easier, your just get better.” People who succeed get comfortable at being uncomfortable. In other words, they keep pushing their limits.
In exercise science, we refer to this as the “overload principle”—in order for a body system to adapt, it must be pushed to a level greater than that to which it is accustomed. This principle applies to the Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social, as well as the Physical, dimensions of well-centered fitness. We grow by stepping into the uncomfortable.
When I tell my children to “go out and fail”, I don’t mean for them to not do their best. What I mean is do more than your present “best”—I mean “challenge yourself”. “Be your best today; be better tomorrow” happens when we are comfortably uncomfortable—when we are willing to fail at something new.
Often, when we step into the uncomfortable, we actually realize that we are quite good at what we are attempting. Emotionally and Socially, we find that barriers are broken and we achieve a deeper connection with others.
Change is nothing to fear. Indeed, it should be the only constant in our lives. The need to change—i.e., to grow—is not a criticism. It is an essential for fulfillment.
So, dare to be uncomfortable. Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”—Neale Donald Walsch