PEBBLE
Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life.
~Susan David, shared by Jessie at Cal Poly, CA (who liked this line from Susan’s TED Talk The gift and power of emotional courage)
BOULDER
Suffering and discomfort are the call to inquiry… You may even experience them as friends coming to show you what you have not yet investigated thoroughly enough.
~Byron Katie, shared by Leslie in Madison, WI
PONDER
If you’ve experienced a presentation with The Ripples Guy, you’ve likely heard me talk about the importance of seeking the right combination of COMFORT and CHALLENGE to maximize success in school, work, and life. Whether it’s a college orientation, a workplace training, or a leadership/professional development conference I’m asked to speak at, I usually kick things off with a reminder that discomfort is required for growth: we can’t grow into the best possible version of ourselves without increasing our tolerance for discomfort.
That doesn’t mean we should put up with someone treating us badly, nor does it require us to constantly inflict pain on ourselves. This is more about recognizing that discomfort is an inevitable part of a full life, and with the right mindset and tools, we can embrace life’s inevitable crappiness as fertilizer for growth.
I’m just wrapping up another trip to Cal Poly, where I once again invited incoming students to recognize the important role that discomfort plays in personal and professional development. It’s a message we all need to hear over and over again, and every time I bring it up in a presentation, I usually find myself personally benefiting from the reminder, too. So before I collapse for a few days to recover from all the fun and exhausting Cal Poly shenanigans, I thought I’d invite YOU to spend some time thinking about Discomfortability and how you might be able to leverage it in your life.
Are you in?
Peace,
Paul
P.S. Josh Radnor recently shared a few thoughts in his Museletter on Discomfort as a Doorway that has given me lots to think about.
