HOW DO I GET COMFORTABLE WITH UNCOMFORTABLE?

Uncomfortable things can make us feel uneasy, scared and out of control. Fear seems to hang out with discomfort. How can fear be a good thing? Isn’t fear the opposite of joy?

I think about this more and more as I help executives rethink creative leadership.

It is uncomfortable to acknowledge mistakes as a leader running a global company.
It is uncomfortable to solve something with a team member who criticized you publicly.
It is uncomfortable being tasked to solve a critical problem that you have no idea how to.
It is uncomfortable finding a big solution that your customers will like with little money.

At times we may try to avoid, delay or step out of our discomfort. But there are times when we can’t. So what do you do?

Train your mind to get comfortable feeling uncomfortable. Learn how to embrace and at times even celebrate the unsteady moments when they appear. This is how some of the greatest companies were shaped after surviving the crisis. This is why deep love and friendships are formed after trials of vulnerability. This is why we grow when we seek to understand things that we simply feel that we cannot. I may not get it all completely today but if I try to understand it each day, maybe my heart, the eye will understand it better.