We are taught to avoid discomfort and therefore cling to what we know. We prefer to stick with our comfort zones rather than embrace the discomfort of growth. We tend to grasp for the well-worn path rather than face the unknown.
Discomfort (noun): a state of pain, unease, worry, or embarrassment.
And yet, I have repeatedly learned that there is just as much discomfort in staying the same as there is in accepting change. In time, our comfort zones become just as, if not more, uncomfortable.
It is only in letting go, in releasing and shedding past identities and jobs and businesses that I eventually unlocked what I should’ve always known - the discomfort of staying the same eventually becomes more painful than the discomfort it takes to change.
The discomfort of staying the same eventually becomes more painful than the discomfort it takes to change.
You can embrace the discomfort of having hard conversations or the discomfort of avoiding them altogether. You can face the discomfort of embarking on a career change or accept the discomfort of conforming to a career path that no longer supports you. You can accept the discomfort of closing a business or you can choose the discomfort of saving a business that no longer works for you. You can opt in or out of staying home or you can accept the discomfort of ignoring whatever might be calling to you. You can acknowledge the shifts that happen in your own life or you can choose the discomfort of turning a blind eye.
But the choice is yours and yours alone, only you know which direction to go. Only you know which discomfort is right for you. Only you know what will help you to grow.
My recommendation is to swallow your pride, push past your fears, ditch your comfort zone, and start leaning into the other kind of discomfort. The type of discomfort that will rearrange you. The type of discomfort that will change you. The type of discomfort that will make you.
Change is hard, growth is messy, but so is staying the same. More often than not, the changes that we are avoiding will catch up with us eventually. You might as well embrace the next chapter, the next season, the next rearrangement with open arms. Because the discomfort of staying the same eventually becomes more painful than the discomfort it takes to change.
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#77 Identity: Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.
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#75 Words: Words are how I breathe.
#74 Connection: All the things that make us feel alone connect us.
#73 Vulnerable: Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take.
#72 Comparison: What if comparison is trying to deliver you back to yourself.
#71 Stay: Why staying home didn’t work for me.
#70 Mirrors: Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.
#69 Strength: May your struggles help you find your strength.
#68 Transformation: Change is inevitable, transformation is a choice.
Full archive here.