Comfortably Being Uncomfortable: Growth When Stuck

“You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.” -Brian Tracy

Hacking Life

I ran across a "life hack" with this quote as its premise. Now, before you dismiss this post as "get rich quick" quack, please at least finish this section! See, I believe in life hacks, but not the quick fix ones. I believe in proven life hacks, that anyone can apply, and that get real results to make life better. I especially like ones that based on science, like this linked post that talks about dopamine.

For example, the quotes above remind me of weight lifting. To grow muscle mass, you must lift enough weight to tear muscle fiber so you can grow stronger fiber in its place. You have to be uncomfortable for a while to comfortably handle more weight later! 

Habits are the same way. When you repeat something enough times, it gets wired with synapses in your brain. It may be uncomfortable doing a new routine. But eventually, you can do it comfortably without even thinking about it!

These are proven facts that you may not have known. Did I need to get into the exact science and terms around all this? Or was it enough to share the "hacks" with you, so you could put them to use?

Getting Comfortable

Back to this post from lifehack.org*:

"Being uncomfortable is something you have to learn to embrace. Putting yourself in new and unfamiliar situations stimulates the part of the brain[ 1] that releases dopamine, nature’s happy drug."

We all have set-points, just like a thermostat. The scientific term for it is homeostasis. A great post that can explain it way better than I can is on tinybudda.com**. Here are the main quote takeaways:

• "there’s an unconscious process within us that self-regulates. We have relationship set points, money set points, and weight set points. We have comfort zones—sometimes ones that we’re completely unaware of."
• "Yes, expansion is our nature, but we also come up against our own homeostasis—our own comfort zone. We don’t want to move out of what we know."
• "We have set points, comfort zones that most of us, for our whole lives don’t leave. And I’m not a proponent of doing stuff just to be uncomfortable."
• "But if you are here and you want to be there, you do have to wade through what keeps you stuck."
• "I want to know what it feels like there so I can make that my new comfort zone."

So now you have a good reason and enough proof that this is a good hack... errrr, I mean idea.

How Much is Enough

I don't believe in a set amount, like 10 times a day that the article points out. As a friend pointed out, that could lead to ulcers and/or a heart attack! Plus, it is unrealistic to do that many. You will often fail and then stop altogether.

But, like the tinybuddha post, I do believe we have our own internal thermostat that alerts us. A feeling when we are not growing, maybe stuck, or even in pain. It is when we notice we are uncomfortable. That is the perfect time to try something new. To "get out of your comfort zone" as the saying goes. 

Even better, now you have some posts and science to back it up. ;) See, this isn't some Pollyanna B.S. If there are weeds in your garden, God is not going to pull them out... YOU are.

Notes:

*  Yes, a shameless plug, as I have found so much of their content meets the three criteria in the first paragraph. (Yes, I'm making you search for it, so it sinks in ;)

**  Another great life hack site!

 #LinkedInVALUEseries #Comfortable #growth #UNcomfortable ;)

What do YOU think?

How are you getting uncomfortable? Let me know in the comments below. Who knows, you might find some comfort for yourself and others...