5 Ways To Lean Into Discomfort
At some point in our lives, we have gotten comfortable and though this is not inherently a bad thing, I guarantee you that it has stunted our growth. Staying in our comfort zones is one of the biggest obstacles to achieving both our organization’s goals and our personal goals. Being willing to experience discomfort is a superpower and is the road to dreams and goals.
Here are my top 5 ways to lean into discomfort.
1. Become aware of your thoughts - Set aside some time to check in with what you are thinking and how you are feeling. If you're anything like me, I used to think I shouldn't feel uncomfortable. I would avoid situations that made me feel embarrassed, afraid, or unworthy.
The solution - Notice what you are thinking and what that thinking makes you feel. Know that the full human experience requires you to feel all the feels and that you have the capacity to feel them without a catastrophic outcome.
You will learn that emotions are simply energy in your body.
2. Accept what it is - Have you ever noticed that we play a game of make believe? This is where we want the reality to be different than what is. The funny thing about this game, (not funny at all) is that there are only losers, no winners! When you think that what is happening shouldn't, you add or prolong unnecessary frustration and stress.
The Solution - Accept that what is happening, is supposed to be happening because it is, and it should never have been any other way.
3. Consciously chose discomfort - Most of us grew up thinking and believing that we should only feel happy, good, successful and all the feelings on the "positive" side of the emotion’s spectrum, and when we aren't, something is wrong with us. What I discovered was that choosing comfort kept me away from the goals and objectives I set for myself and that discomfort was the currency for my goals. So instead of not asking for what I wanted because I didn't want to hear "No", I asked because I knew the more "no’s” I got also got me closer to "YES"
The Solution - Deliberately put yourself in situations that you would normally avoid. Start small and keep going. It's like building muscle!
4. Say No - Too often we think that we can control how people think and feel about us and we over extend ourselves saying "yes" to more than we either can do or want to do. We end up exhausted and often do a poor job. What we are doing is manipulating other people. Behaving in ways to get them to think and feel about us the way we want them to. Because saying "no" is so uncomfortable, we prefer to say "yes" even though we feel resentful and self-loathing. Here is what I discovered, regardless of what you do, some people are going to have "positive" feelings about you and some will have "negative" feelings about you.
The Solution: You decide who you want to be; what aligns with your values and objectives; say no to what doesn’t.
5. Manage your time. Many of my clients complain they don't have enough hours in the day to do all the things that's on their plate. Outing fires all day long, and then going home to do the day's work. Very little time for family and no time for self.
Make plans for your day in advance. Sticking to this plan has been one the biggest challenges they (and I) experience and one of the most rewarding once they apply the process I teach them. Not only do they get "stuff' done in the time they set, but they also eliminate a lot of time-wasting activities like procrastination, worry and indecision.
The Solution: Be willing to do exactly what you say you will do. When you make a plan, know in advance that when the time comes, you are not going to feel like doing it, so plan for that as well!
These are just some of the tools you will learn in The Leadership Academy. Enroll today.
I’m Nadine Seaga and I’m a Mindset & Leadership Coach, Founder & Chief Energy Officer (CEO) of People Development Consultants. I can help you to harness your full potential and the full potential of those you lead! Check out my website at pdconsults.com for more information or shoot me an email at nadine@pdconsults.com to connect and get started on this life-changing work.