I’m sorry to be the bearer of difficult news. Getting from where you are to where you want to be requires a certain amount of discomfort.
To pull you through the unpleasantness these hurdles will cause you—hurdles in your mind, in situations and with people, you will need a compelling dream or clear vision. Let’s take a closer look at discomfort.
Change breeds discomfort.
Building muscles or losing weight requires a behavior change that is unpleasant at first:
- The burn of lifting weights
- Hunger pains from smaller meals
- Less pleasure in eating healthier foods
In a similar way, every challenge you incur as you work toward your career, relationship and life goals initially causes discomfort.
However, as you move away from denial, overanalysis and blame as tactics to avoid what is uncomfortable to embrace more accountability, action and learning, you strengthen your resolve as you journey toward success.
Accepting discomfort breeds success.
Embracing instead of resisting uncomfortable change is a necessary step in achieving success. It increases resilience and deepens fulfillment.
Who you become as you deal with challenges positively, as determined by the strength of your mind and the management of your emotions, is the real success story behind goal achievement.
Action: Accept challenges as necessary.
We often see challenges as pesky annoyances and unwanted disruptions that get in the way of our goals. However, if we see them as necessary to achieve, sustain and even maximize future success, these same challenges become welcome allies, not adversaries.
Here are three ways to accept the discomfort of necessary change with more grace and ease:
-Keep your eyes on the bigger picture to stay motivated.
-Focus on how current challenges mold you for a more positive future.
-Choose action over deliberation.
What this looks like in practice:
I coached a woman who was making a mid-life career change from an educator to a nurse. Her challenges were financing a new degree, losing income while studying and being discouraged by others about the future of nursing. Add to that self-doubt about her ability to learn late in life and concerns about what the stress would do to her marriage.
Through the discomfort, she focused on her passion for helping the sick, immediately addressed each fear and obstacle as they arose and chose to make decisions even when she wasn’t 100% certain, recognizing she could revise her choices as she needed with little regret and lots of resilience.
Today, she enjoys a lucrative career as a traveling nurse with her husband, who now works remotely. Their marriage thrives as they travel around the country, exploring different cities and meeting new people wherever her work takes her.
Discomfort is a necessary part of the journey to success. When dealt with positively, challenges become meaningful and essential for developing the perseverance and resilience to cross the finish line.
The good news is that despite any obstacles you face today, you can choose to keep your eye on the prize and accept all discomfort as beneficial. Decide to do this consistently and without delay and you will build the success muscles to achieve your goals with unshakeable confidence now and for the future.
Until next week,
Jo-Aynne Von Born, Leadership and Executive Coach
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Check out my latest posts!
- Do More, Do Better When You Confront The Uncomfortable.
- Feeling the pain of work/life frustration?
- The bad news about what you must do to succeed.
- You Are Not 100% Responsible for Your Future: The Liberating Truth.
