The Vote is In: Why You Need to Get Comfortable with Discomfort

Boy, the last few days have certainly felt uncomfortable. You see, I’m not the sort of person who does well when things are up in the air. So, you can probably imagine how tough this past week has been for me, as we all waited to hear who won the U.S. presidential election.

I find it somewhat ironic that today is the day I’m writing on the topic of Getting Comfortable with Discomfort for my newest book, Can We Talk? Seven Principles for Managing Difficult Conversations at Work, which will be published in the fall of 2021.

Or maybe it’s a good thing I’m doing this today, as doing so helps me get out of a funk.

Look, by all measures, it’s been one heck of an uncomfortable year for us all. 

• Many of us are having to learn a new way of working. Some are more comfortable with this than others.
• Many of those uncomfortable work conversations leaders have to have from time to time seem to be even more uncomfortable when done over Zoom.
• And I’m growing more uncomfortable every day knowing that there is no end in sight to this situation.

The sooner we get comfortable with discomfort, the better off we’ll all be.

While working on my manuscript this morning, I was reminded of a time when discomfort led to growth.

I was nineteen years old and working as a law firm’s file clerk. I made $120 a week (no, this is not a typo), and I decided I would ask for a raise. I went into the lead partner’s office to plead my case and said I felt I deserved to be earning $140 a week based on the work that I was doing. 

He agreed and gave me the raise.

If you’ve ever asked for a raise, then you know how uncomfortable it can feel to stand up for yourself. The big lesson I learned is that you’ll never get something if you don’t ask for it. 

I also learned that I should have asked for a lot more money! He likely gave me the $20 bucks, so I’d leave him alone.

The moment I began to see discomfort as a positive, I started to feel more confident. I soon realized that not everything in the world would go according to my plan, and if I wanted to thrive, I needed to change my feelings about change. 

Getting comfortable with discomfort seemed like a small price to pay to grow and prosper.

I know I’m not the only one who is feeling unsettled these days, as some of my clients have shared how this period of uncertainty is impacting them. 

Here’s what my most successful clients are doing that may be helpful to you.

They are making plans for the future. They’re working on their talent strategies right now and are getting ready to step into 2021 on a positive note. The simple act of moving forward is helping them maintain their balance.

They’re acknowledging that there will be days when fear takes over. When this happens, they take a pause and reflect on what’s going well. This injection of positive energy propels them forward.

They are reminding themselves that with discomfort comes growth and opportunity. If you don’t take chances, where will you be? It may be more comfortable to remain in your current role, and hope you make it through this pandemic unscathed. You could also take a chance and go for the job that’s a bit of a stretch for you.

Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.

I hope you choose growth.

Until next week,

Roberta