Your comfort is killing you.
There’s nothing wrong with being comfortable once in a while. We need it to recover and refresh so that we can go out into the world again. Comfort offers us a respite from the dangers of the world and gives us something to ease the burden of tough living.
However, our day and age have provided us with the most abundant comfort ever known in the history of the world. And that’s saying something. While other civilizations throughout time have been able to create massive amounts of comfort for at least a thin slice of the population, no collection of people has had more access to ease of life and comfort than the modern human.
Obviously, certain countries and areas of the world still have difficulties and suffer greatly, but those of us in the modern world are, for the most part, pretty well off. Even the poorest among us have televisions, cell phones, and access to food. In fact, our poorest have become our most obese group.
We are addicted to comfort and ease, and it is destroying us.
DISCOMFORT TRANSFORMS
If you actually want to transform, then you will need to accept that you are probably way too comfortable in life. I don’t mean that you’re comfortable with your job or family life. I’m talking about whether you willingly and voluntarily take the hard road as opposed to the easy road. All too often, we come to that crossroads of a decision and decide to ignore the tougher road so that we can take the easier, more pleasurable path.
We eat junk food even though we know it’s not good for us.
We don’t exercise even though we know we need to.
We sit online for hours even though we know we should be working.
We stay at home even though we know we should go outside once in a while.
We consistently choose the easier path because it is just that – easier.
The problem is that those easy pathways are the fastest way to destroy ourselves in body, soul, and spirit.
Instead, we need to begin learning how to take the hard road and lean into discomfort. The truth is, if you want to grow, it is going to mean that you must stop doing what you typically do in a day that you know isn’t good for you. And if you’re not sure if it’s good for you, then let me give you a quick list of what is and isn’t good for you:
THE GOOD OF DISCOMFORT
Natural food (meat, eggs, veggies, fruit, rice, potatoes, etc.): Good.
Just about anything that comes in a box, bag, or wrapper: Probably not good.
Exercise and getting your body moving: Good.
Sitting around for hours a day: Not good.
Building healthy relationships: Good.
Porn, AI girlfriends, Anime obsession, etc.: Not good.
Reading, building skills, pursuing hobbies: Good.
Playing video games or watching movies for hours on end: Not good.
You may find yourself getting a little defensive on some of these. But let me ask you a question: you’ve been pursuing that thing that you’re defensive about. It is most likely at the expense of something else on the list. If you’re so happy and content with where your life is at, then ignore all of this and be on your way.
Let’s be real with ourselves. You’re not thrilled with who you are. You’re not happy with where you’re at. So, it’s time to recalibrate your values and realize that you have not been doing what is best for yourself.
That doesn’t mean you need to quit video games, the internet, and TV completely. But they are powerful escapes, and we are WASTING our lives if we spend all of our time on these things.
Instead, we need to begin making the hard choices. When you go for some food, you need to make the decision to be conscious about what you eat. When you want to play video games, you need to make the choice to get some exercise or pursue a skill. When you want to look at porn, you NEED to find something that you can spend your time doing and remove yourself from the temptation.
We must learn how to lean into discomfort. It means stopping the excuses and going after what you know is best for yourself.
THE LESSON OF DISCOMFORT
In fact, if I don’t want to do something, I immediately become skeptical of myself. More than likely, my distaste for that thing is directly because I just want to be comfortable.
A while ago, I was on the road for a business trip. I typically drive through the night if it’s a long drive, and sleep in little spurts as I go. On this trip, I was making my way through Louisiana. It was about 3am.
I hadn’t had a workout in a week (due to stupid excuses) and was feeling the effects. As I drove, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to do something. But what are you supposed to do at 3am while you’re driving across the nation?
It dawned on me that I had my workout shoes and that I could always go for a short run around a rest stop or gas station. Even though a big part of me yelled, “NO!” I turned off at a pleasant rest stop and convinced myself to take the plunge. I chose to put on my running shoes, set a timer for 15 minutes, and ran the winding sidewalks that circled the rest stop area.
After my run, I felt great. Not only that, but it was one of the best runs I’ve had in a long time. And, the best part about my run was that I knew VERY few people in this world would be willing to do what I just did.
The truth is, you will always be average if you live like an average person. The average person would never in a million years think to go for a run at 3am. But I want you to think about this: How often do we give those excuses when in reality, we’re just wanting to shy away from discomfort and stay comfortable?
What if we stopped with the excuses and embraced the fact that some things are going to suck?
Trust me, I have always hated running. It has always been something I’ve wanted to avoid with everything in me. But the truth is, I know it is good for me. I know that my health is more important than me not wanting to suck wind for a few minutes.
So, I push myself to make the right choice and be okay with being physically uncomfortable for a little while.
WHAT DOES DISCOMFORT MAKE YOU AVOID?
What is it that you avoid because you knew it would be uncomfortable? Is it choices about your health? Is it working harder on something you care about? Is it building a relationship? Is it confronting someone?
I want you to write something down. First, write down the type of person you really want to be. Write down what your habits would be, the choices you would make, and the ways in which you would not just be an average person.
Then, put a list together of the things that you know you should be doing but you avoid because they’re not comfortable for you. Remember, if the person you want to be would lean into those discomforts, then that means you need to lean into those things. Once you have your description and your list, put a plan together of how you’re going to make the hard choice and begin to lean into the discomfort of those things.
I’m telling you, when you begin to make the hard choices in life, new things will open up to you. Hard choices oftentimes involve risk, discomfort, hardship, or difficulties. But the alternative is to live a comfortable life that kills you and saps you of your vitality. It is the good choices (which are so often hard to make) that invigorate you and build up your vitality. You learn to have a new outlook on life, and the spice of life grows.
As you make more and more decisions that go in the face of comfort and luxury, the more of a true human being you become.
Think about it: do muscles grow when they sit or when they work hard?
And which do you want to be? The same person as you’ve always been, or do you want to invest in yourself in ways most people never will?
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