Comfort is the enemy to progress

The Comfort Crises, a book authored by Michael Easter, challenges the reader to choose discomfort for the sake of growth. This is not a novel idea, a new revelation, or some fancy quick help gimmick; but a widely accepted truth: growth can be the result of discomfort and pain. 

Our natural bodies testify to this. If you are trying to build muscle, there is only one way it can be accomplished: you must first subject your body to varying degrees of discomfort. Through activity, stimulation and engagement, muscle fibers are stretched, torn, and broken down. After a workout the muscles are sore and tight, but during the recovery period they are healing, growing, and binding together again stronger than before. The result of this process being repeated time and time again is muscular development, strength, and growth. 

In life, much of what you desire will be discovered through discomfort, pain and adversity. And the hardest part is that to grow consistently, you must engage in discomfort consistently.

Disciplining yourself to do what you do not want is without question a challenge. It is hard because the world has evolved to create a false reality that gives the appearance of instant return on investment. 

I have three sons, my older two are a freshman and sophomore in high school. They both enjoy lifting weights. They have been asking for a while to start taking creatine, which is a nutritional supplement that allows more water to flow to muscles, aiding in growth and strength. After a few days my middle son came into the kitchen, and while putting a scoop of creatine in his shaker cup he looked up and said, “Dad, I’m not sure this stuff works at all. I have been taking it for three days and I cannot tell a bit of difference.” A perfect example of the unrealistic expectations of our day.

I told him the very thing I am writing for you today. Desires fulfilled will be the result of choosing to do hard things on a consistent basis.

Here are a couple of benefits of embracing discomfort. 

1) When you embrace discomfort it becomes easier to do things that are hard. Four years ago, I ventured into a new workout discipline called CrossFit. I did not know much about it, but I did know that it was hard. However, I did not know how hard. After my first workout, while laying in a pool of my own sweat, struggling to suck in oxygen and waiting for the lactic acid to dissipate, my friend asked me if I would come back and workout with him the next day? Every part of me wanted to say “No!”. But I had made the choice to pursue the highest level of health and fitness I could, so I mustered enough strength to give a head nod and a thumbs up. 

That choice has led to being in the gym, doing constantly varying workouts, engaging in strength training, cardiovascular building, skill, and gymnastic movements five to seven days a week. The result is being in the best shape of my life in my forties. But here is the golden nugget of embracing the physical discomfort I experience every day: it makes the other hard things I must do easier. 

My workouts are often the hardest things I do each day, at least physically. The result has been a changed mindset regarding other hard things that arise during my weeks. 

Instead of working to avoid the discomfort that comes with my position of leadership, I seek to embrace it. I pursue doing the hard but necessary things, having the difficult conversations and making the challenging decisions, because I know that on the other side of discomfort there will be growth. 

2) Embracing discomfort sets you apart as a leader people will want to follow. Most people fight to stay comfortable. They want to be free from confrontation, hard work, and problems of any sort. None of those tendencies are modeled by great leaders. 

Great leaders sacrifice what they desire for the good of those they lead. Great leaders do what is necessary, not what is convenient. Great leaders lean into discomfort, to hard things, and embrace a willingness and discipline to do so as long as needed. When the people you lead recognize that you are not interested in your personal comfort, when they see a willingness to sacrifice what you desire in exchange for what is needed, it demonstrates a leader pursuing a mission, not self-preservation. These are the characteristics of a leader that anyone would want to follow. 

So, explore the journey of discomfort. Be willing to avoid the pitfalls of comfort. It will be good for you.