Trust Your Discomfort

You have less to lose than you think.

As humans, we are constantly striving for the feeling of security. Frankly, it's how we are wired from both a biological and psychological perspective. Security means survival, control, predictability, and the avoidance of loss. In other words, that desire for security helps us eliminate any feeling of discomfort. However, that same avoidance of discomfort is precisely what arrests us from personal growth.

However, this desire for security doesn't stop in our personal lives, especially if you're trying to grow your business:

• We avoid contacting the client who hasn't paid because it's uncomfortable.

• We refrain from investing in the new marketing campaign because it may not work.

• We procrastinate any prospecting activities because it's difficult.

• We dodge asking prospects for a budget because it's awkward.

• We sidestep asking for the sale because the client might say "no."

We all have these feelings; they're simply part of the overall human condition. We avoid most business activities that make us uneasy because, well, it's safe. We eschew action, change, and even decisions because, more than anything, they represent risk in ways that doing what we've always done represents comfort. It's as if we continually assume we have everything to lose when confronted with something that we deem to be uncomfortable.

The reality is that if you want to succeed, you have to begin trusting the discomfort of your current situation. That uneasiness you feel in the pit of your stomach is, more than anything, an impediment to progress, growth, and, ultimately, success. It's critical to find a way to articulate to yourself WHY the situation in question makes you uncomfortable so you can understand why you need to make a change. After that, you have to act on making a change.

Understanding the why is truly the antidote to that discomfort and anxiety. This begs the question:  Does anyone know if whatever change is made or action taken will work and move you closer to success? Absolutely not. However, the simple act of pushing past your discomfort teaches you, in many respects, that you are not a prisoner of your circumstance, situation, or fate, which hasn't been written.

You're reading this blog, so I'll share some unsolicited advice: If you think it, try it. Even if it doesn't work, you'll learn something from the experience. It's also important to remember that you have less to lose than you think by trusting your discomfort.