Lunar Letter / Get Uncomfortable

Take a moment and think about the following:

In this instant are you where you want to be and how you want to be?

If the answer is yes, congratulations you have absolutely nothing to do except to keep doing what you are doing. If, on the other hand, like the majority of us you feel something is lacking or there is a part of your life which can be improved…

Get uncomfortable!

While it’s true we love to be in a cocoon of comfort, it is also a surefire way to continue getting more of the same and, in some cases can lead us to the edge of an abyss.

Mankind’s greatest achievements have occurred as a result of discomfort. In addition, many of us have achieved our greatest feats after feeling uncomfortable with a situation or result.

Discomfort drives us to find other solutions and take alternative courses of action to obtain a different direction. When we face an uncomfortable situation, we can choose one of two courses of action: The first is to manage the pressure and do nothing. The second is to get up and find another avenue to achieve what we most desire.

Our most outstanding successes tend to come after situations which shake our world like an earthquake. For example: marriage, the birth of a child, taking on an obligation which is greater than we believed possible and even the death of a loved one. Pressure and discomfort can stimulate or diminish our ability to establish new ways of working and acting.

Following, a story about discomfort: An older gentleman is rocking in his chair on his wooden porch. A traveler requiring assistance walks up to ask for help and notices the dog lying down beside the man is visibly troubled. The dog whimpers and whines in agony. The traveler asks the man, “What’s wrong with your dog, is he sick?”

The man laughs and says, “No, he isn’t sick. He is sitting on a nail which sticks out of the porch and it’s poking one of his testicles.”

“Why doesn’t he move?” the traveler asks.

“Well, you see he doesn’t move because it hurts him just enough to complain but not enough to move,” answers the owner.

This same situation happens frequently in life. We are hurt enough to complain though are not in enough pain to move. If this is the case, we can get more uncomfortable with regards to our present situation, get up and take action to effect positive change.

“It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action.” ~ Al Batt

When we get uncomfortable with goals and objectives which go beyond what is comfortable and convenient, we can go farther than we ever imagined possible.

∞ Rob McBride ∞
LL II 37