Your Protected Comfort Zone: How to Commit to Challenging Yourself to Drive Results

The Discomfort Zone?

You can't know what comfort is unless you've been uncomfortable at some point in your life. Without one, the other has no value. The Discomfort Zone is not when things are calm and serene. Yet, it’s where all the magic happens. Of the two, the Discomfort Zone is the place where you’ll find the potential for your goals and dreams to take flight.?

What is Discomfort??

Uneasiness. Worry. Pain. Discomfort is defined by a slew of negative emotions, giving the impression that this is something to be avoided at all costs. If you doubt this, consider how many medications there are to take away pain or anxiety.?

How many systems are in place to erase worry from your life?

Who in their right mind wants to be made uncomfortable??

At the same time, we tend to forget some very large truths about discomfort.?

·???????? Pain lets us know when something is wrong in our body so we can fix it.

·???????? Worry shows us when we might need care in moving forward with a plan.

·???????? Uneasiness is an instinct that alerts us when something is 'off ‘about a situation.?

Instead of thinking of discomfort as the enemy, what if we considered it to be a signal, alerting us where something needs to change? Think of Discomfort as an indicator pointing at an opportunity for growth. It’s an open invitation to change your life by forcing you out of your Comfort Zone and into something grander.?

Think of the Discomfort Zone as being ushered into life’s classroom. Will the lessons be hard? Sometimes, yes. But the outcome speaks for itself. Keep reading to find out how.

How Can Discomfort Propel Us Towards Our Goals??

Think for a moment about the greatest accomplishments in your life. Chances are it doesn't take much scrutiny to see where discomfort had some hand in the outcome. Even the birth of a baby requires a certain degree of pain. But ask the woman who'd struggled for years to have a child if the pain was worth it, and you'd get a resounding 'yes!'?

Discomfort is, at its heart, a hard push away from where you are. It's the impetus that drives you toward change. Think about this:?

Discomfort Allows You to See New Possibilities

When you’ve grown stagnant, stuck where you are, discomfort gives you an itchy feeling of wanting something different in your life. When you start looking around for what satisfies this itch, you discover new interests and ideas, things which in turn spark you back to life.?

Discomfort Helps You Discover Connections to What You Know

Discomfort urges you to find solutions when a problem arises, tugging at half-formed ideas and hypotheses. Because this problem needs solving, this discomfort arises in the form of whispers in your mind of, "I can do that. I know how to solve this problem."?

Discomforts Sets Your Dreams on Fire

At some point, it's not enough to make goals or imagine pretty dreams. Discomfort comes in the form of dissatisfaction, the constant questioning of "Why aren't I doing this yet?" It nudges you until you cannot be satisfied by anything less than trying out your ideas to see if you can make them happen.?

Discomfort Underscores Boredom

A break, or even a long vacation, is a wonderful thing. At some point, though, discomfort makes even your favorite things feel dull and uninteresting. Discomfort demands you find something new to do, something which will engage your mind and body. Discomfort will not be satisfied by anything less.?

Discomfort Demands You be Bold

There's no shrinking back into the shadows when Discomfort crops up. Discomfort challenges you to prove you're up to the challenge. It pulls at you, forcing you to think creatively, be more flexible, and throw yourself into the fight. Remember, if you want control of what Discomfort brings you, you will have to take it.?

Discomfort Pushes at Our Limits

When the Comfort Zone begins to shrink our world, Discomfort demands we take back these things which are being threatened. Those borderline uncomfortable aspects of our lives become something to seize control of once and for all.?

Discomfort Increases Brain Power

Studies have shown that one of the biggest factors in developing dementia is not challenging your mind enough as you grow older. This is why they recommend brain teasers, taking classes, or otherwise stimulating your mind more, especially as you reach middle age.?

Now imagine what the comfort zone does to intellect. When you're comfortable, you don't have to think much about things, everything is very routine, and you're never challenged to think creatively for solutions.

By this token, discomfort activates your brain cells, stimulating cognitive thought processes, pushing creativity, and demanding you put your brain to work. All of which give added brainpower as you grow older.?

Discomfort Forces New Perspectives

The Comfort Zone has a very singular view of the world. Discomfort is where you find your thoughts and beliefs challenged. It pushes you to see the other side of the story and invites you to change your mind about things you thought you always thought were true.?

Discomfort can be a powerful tool if you have the courage to use it. The best part? Once you’ve deliberately allowed yourself into the Discomfort Zone, you'll find it's not so uncomfortable as you expected.?

In fact, once you get past the initial shock from leaving your Comfort Zone, you will settle in rather quickly to the challenge. Humans are incredible in how swiftly they can adapt to any given situation. It's how generations of our ancestors got through every crisis, from wars and famines to financial distress.?

Using Discomfort to reach your goals and attain the next level of personal growth seems pretty simple by comparison, doesn't it? Especially when you see its value then have a system to harness it.

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A PERSONAL NOTE: Ask for Help!

Since 2011 Coaching InDeed Inc. has had the privilege of serving professionals and business owner leaders seeking to develop the ability to FOCUS on human-centric communication skills and a perceptive mindset toward themselves, the workplace, their business, and at home resulting in long term positive behavioral change. To request a complimentary conversation for insights on a pressing matter, please contact Donna J. Spina PCC Business Leadership Career ICF Coach via LinkedIn DM.

“Be not afraid of discomfort. If you can’t put yourself in a situation where you are uncomfortable, then you will never grow. You will never change. You’ll never learn.” Jason Reynolds