When we were dating my wife told me one of the things that she admired about me was I didn’t let fear hold me back. If I wanted something, I just went after it.
It’s not a natural mindset for me, I’m really a shy reclusive, low event, low risk kind of guy. I prefer to stay in my comfort zone.
Karate (and then yoga) training taught me to be uncomfortable.
Stage one; be uncomfortable. Go to class, sweat, get banged around, be the worst student in the room.
Stage two; seek out discomfort. Take the test for the next belt. Compete in tournaments. Lose, a lot.
Stage three; embrace discomfort. Compete often, seek out better fighters and go up against them, demonstrate for the class, teach.
Stage four; love discomfort. In this final stage, you’re back to the beginning because once you’ve learned to love discomfort, can you really call it “discomfort” any more?
In yoga, I fell in love with that most uncomfortable of yogas; hot yoga, and my love affair with discomfort continued. Then along came COVID, which sent me back to my beginnings.
For two years I lived the life of a hermit, a recluse, a shut in. I spent all my time quietly, alone in my comfort zone, but living like this was hurting my kids, and outside of that, I want more from life.
So I’ve been forcing myself outside my comfort zone. I put my face and thoughts on YouTube. I learned to write copy, signed my first client and created my first professional writing work. When the wife and kiddoes are away, I do something to challenge myself.
Your comfort zone is a safe, happy place, but it’s unfulfilling and boring, so get out of it.
Get uncomfortable.
