Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable!

“I’ve never done that” or “I’ve never tried that” often leads us back to the place we’ve always been. In John Maxwell’s latest book, “No Limits – Blow the cap off your capacity”, he challenges the reader to identify and “remove the caps from your capacity”. A friend once told John, “…you need to improve yourself. You’re not good enough to stay the same” (Pg. 96). You may be good, but you can always get better. In order for that to happen, you must get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Get comfortable with:

1.     Problem solving: With every problem there is an opportunity to discover a solution.

2.     Advice from others: Take what you want and discard the rest. Just make sure that the advice you hang on to pushes you to be better than you currently are. Getting advice from others is worth more than you think you know.

3.     Failure or Set Backs: Failures aren’t all bad when we learn and grow from them. When a mistake is made, make it right (when required) and move on. Edison didn’t wake up one day and decide to make a light bulb. He woke up 9,999 days with a better idea than the day before. Look at your failures as experiments. Make improvements on your experiments daily until your light comes on.

4.     The Journey: It’s the journey that makes the destination sweet! It’s long, hard, draining, revealing…take note of who you are becoming on the journey. It’s who you are becoming that’s more important than where you are going. Stay the course!

5.     NO (Strike-Outs): I have a thousand calls recorded in a binder that are either “No” answers or no answer at all. I could close the binder and chalk it up as another strike-out, or I can make the proper adjustments and step back into the batter’s box again and make the calls. Babe Ruth said, “Every strike gets you closer to a homerun”. Keep swinging! Your homerun awaits you!

6.     Rest: I don’t know if you have the same problem that I have - I don’t know how to rest well! When I’m at rest, my mind is still working. That’s not a good thing! Just because I want it to happen NOW, doesn’t mean it will. Working long hours, being disciplined and determined to get where I want to go is only good when I’m GOOD to go once I arrive at my desired destination. Do what you can, how you can the best you can. Then, rest a bit and do it again.

7.     Criticism: Not everyone will like you and they don’t mind letting you know it. Once you step off the porch of mediocrity, those who remain on the porch will say and do all they can to make themselves feel better for choosing to live in the land of average. Not everybody liked Jesus, but everybody wants what He offers. What do you have to offer? Stay focused! Don’t let the criticism of others distract you from being better every day.