On Seeking Comfort

“The older I get, the more I just want to be comfortable,” my friend said to me. We were talking about traveling and how when we were teens, we used to road trip and sleep in the car – sounds horrifying now.

There is truth to what he said. I now crave comfort activities – spending time with family and friends, making and eating good food, traveling (in comfort), cuddling with the kitties, a warm fireplace, reading, and so on. It sounds divine.

You see, it’s in our nature to avoid pain and seek pleasure. And, the comfort activities are definitely pleasurable.

Building a business, on the other hand, is often uncomfortable. It takes hard work, risk, leadership, and putting yourself out there (hugely uncomfortable for introverts like myself).

So, the adage is true – to be successful, you must get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Living outside our comfort zone is how we learn, stretch, and grow. Many of your great achievements are waiting for you outside your comfort zone.

Utilizing Comfort

However, as important as it is for us to step outside our comfort zone, we also can’t be our best when we are constantly in a state of discomfort or fear.

But, what if I told you it was just temporary and you can have comfort too?

Sounds a lot better, right?

It’s so much easier to go to the uncomfortable place when you know you’ll also get some comfort time.

*Note – be careful not to confuse comfort activities with numbing. The goal isn’t to numb the discomfort with alcohol or TV. Comfort is about soothing and rewarding yourself for being courageous.

So, are you tackling a big hairy project that’s seriously stretching you? Take care to pad each day with time doing things that bring you comfort.

Do you have an important prospect meeting you’re nervous about? In addition to plenty of time to prepare, plan for some recovery and comfort time.

Knowing you have comfort time waiting for you will not only make the uncomfortable less daunting, but it will also motivate you to get going!

So, go ahead – get uncomfortable – and then get comfy. Repeat, repeat, repeat.