Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

There is no question that being uncomfortable doesn’t feel good to many people.  Athletes, coaches and parents might work very hard to keep conditions as comfortable as possible for their athletes over the course of their career. They might trick themselves into thinking the easy way is the right way.  However, it is critical for the sake of growth to learn how to deal with discomfort as well as difficult circumstances especially when the lessons are hard and painful.  This helps to make athletes better by forcing them outside of their boundaries. When they get comfortable with being uncomfortable it moves athletes, as well as the team as a whole, to find a new threshold that they are looking to achieve. 

The most successful people learn to push themselves into challenges when they don’t feel like it and especially when they feel uncertain or even scared.  In order to achieve excellence this needs to be done.  Nothing great gets accomplished by just staying comfortable and safe. Many times it is the pain of rejection or the failure of a challenge that pushes people to achieve what they are trying to. When looking back successful people often list those challenges as their most significant reason for success. They can also recount the lessons they learned when they were in pain as the most important part of their journey and ultimately their success.  The faster you can bounce back from the obstacles life throws out the better it is.  

When pushing the limits of your own boundaries it is critical to expect more of yourself than others may expect of you. In some cases it even becomes a habit and so much so that over the years it might get to a point when staying comfortable feels strange.  Steve Nash has been quoted as saying “I’m uncomfortable being comfortable.” This is what happens when excellence becomes the norm.  It is also critical to be strong in your own belief system to guard against people that might try to take down your aspirations.  

Every failure is an opportunity for growth. There can be times when the discomfort or challenge can threaten to nearly break your will to succeed if you let it.  However, by doing small things incrementally on the road to success it can really help to make daunting goals become a reality.  Here are some examples of things you can do to get out of your boundaries and on to a track of taking risks.  Do something that scares you every day.  Set big goals and break them down into small pieces.  Work on those pieces on a consistent basis.  Be around people that challenge themselves so when you do it doesn’t seem that out of the ordinary.  Be real with yourself and push yourself in your boundaries.  Take a course in something that might be out of your comfort zone like public speaking, travel somewhere you haven't been before or maybe try something artistic. Play in atmospheres and in games where the noise and pressure of the situation is intense in order to get used to it. March to the beat of your own drummer and don’t worry as much about “fitting in” in every way.  Be free to be an individual and see the world through your own perspective.     

It is important to also learn to feel fear but learn to do it anyways. Courage has never been about the lack of fear it is often explained as feeling those feelings but being able to push through them.  Fear is a necessary survival instinct and it should be taken into consideration to be able to evaluate the risks but it should not be solely relied upon for accurate information.  It should heighten the senses but shouldn’t stop the progress.  These are all ways to learn to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Good luck in the journey of challenging yourself!