What Makes You Uncomfortable?

This is something you should be thinking about a lot.

Whatever it is, you need to do more of it. Probably, a lot more.

We tend to spend the most time performing activities and tasks that we’re already good at. As a result, we become stagnant in our development. For most people, they are the most comfortable doing those things that they know that they can do effectively.

But, what happens when you’ve got to do something totally outside of your area of expertise?

Well, you become uncomfortable, that’s what.

The interesting thing is, that when you are forced to navigate through something that makes you uncomfortable, you will grow. Growth can be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or cognitive. You can establish new motor learning patterns you never had before. You can develop new problem solving skills. You can start to understand alternative points of view without judgement. You can deepen your sympathy and empathy for others. You can become more in touch with the world around you. But, best of all, you can acquire knowledge that you didn’t have previously.

In fact, the more you spend time outside of your comfort zone, the more rapidly you will advance yourself as a human, and you will be able to have increased value to yourself and others.

For someone like me, who has been a martial arts fighter and “meathead” much of my life, yoga presents unique challenges. I find it very physically and mentally demanding. It makes me extraordinarily uncomfortable. So, I do it as much as possible.

We’ve all heard the saying “Outside of your comfort zone is where the magic happens”. Well, it isn’t magic, but it is true.

You will make the greatest improvements in your life by spending as much time doing things that make you uncomfortable, rather than staying in the same old comfortable patters.

-Aaron