Why You Should Seek Discomfort

Seek Discomfort: No Pain, No Gain

Seek discomfort if you want to be the best version of yourself possible. Striving to be your best should be a major goal for all of us. We feel that achieving that goal is so important that we have a category on this website called Be the Best You. You should THRIVE not just LIVE like many do. On this site we have mentioned the comfort zone in the Magic of Thinking Big: Lessons From 2 Giants in Medicine and have discussed another zone critical to personal development, The Zone of Proximal Development in Help Me Do This All By Myself. 

Everything great can be found outside of your comfort zone. Get comfortable being uncomfortable if you want to see great things occur in your life. The inspiration for today’s topic was birthed at one of our practice’s Grand Rounds when Kelsey Lensman gave a fabulous talk about the rewards that come when we seek discomfort. Below is my interpretation of the concept of seeking discomfort.

Leaving our comfort zones will take us through other zones as illustrated in the diagram below.

The Four Zones

As you can see, you will traverse four zones in your quest to thrive live a meaningful life, and be all you can be.

1. The COMFORT Zone:  We all spend time in our comfort zone. Too much time do we spend in this zone. It is a place that does not expect much of us. Rarely do you get more than you expect. Expect little, get little. The comfort zone is a place of safety and a place where, we feel like we have control, though I would argue you have more control in the GROWTH Zone. It is a place where we are not particularly challenged.
2. The FEAR Zone:  I call this the make-or-break zone. If you get through it, you are on your way to a better life. Many times we dabble in this zone but the fear is too great and many times we retreat into the COMFORT Zone. We walk from the beach into the ocean only to retreat to the comfort and safety of the beach not knowing what is lurking in the water. The Fear Zone is associated with the most discomfort as the challenge is more with ourselves than external forces. We have to overcome ourselves in the Fear Zone.
3. The LEARNING Zone:  This can be an exhilarating zone for those who like to learn and master new knowledge and skills. Learning is not an option on the path to a great life. It is a necessity. This is where you sharpen your skills and become more adept at problem-solving.
4. The GROWTH Zone: this zone correlates well with Maslow’s self-actualization step in his Hierarchy of Needs. The growth phase is where we find purpose and meaning in our lives. We live life on an upward spiral in the growth zone which many times ultimately takes us back through the 4 zones as we set new goals and objectives.

Getting out of the Comfort Zone

The key to a great life is getting out of your comfort zone. To do that you must seek discomfort. We may at times feel like we are being nudged to journey into the Fear Zone but many times we resist such nudging. Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom before we summon the courage to traverse into the Fear Zone and beyond. Sometimes an anvil has to fall on our heads or be hit by a hammer to wake us up from our small dreams to dream bigger dreams.

Heed those small nudges and seek discomfort. Take action when you feel those nudges. Don’t wait for the hammer or anvil. But sometimes it takes an anvil or hammer. Sometimes it takes great discomfort to seek discomfort.