Discomfort is a path to success in business and in life in general.
Make no mistake about it.
“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.”
John Assarraf
If you’re going into business for yourself, you’re going to be uncomfortable.
All too often, people wear rose-tinted glasses and only look at what could happen if they had a thriving business.
They see the fast cars, big houses, total freedom, and all the other trappings of success. But they don’t see the struggle, the pain, the discomfort, and the toll that failure exerts on you.
Oh, you’re going to be uncomfortable, sure. And that’s an understatement.
To achieve success, you MUST become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
You must be willing to embrace pain and hardship. You must have the discipline to stay on course and do the needful.
Of course, it will take time to develop your threshold for discomfort, but it can be done, and you should proactively do it. The more discomfort you can withstand, the more battle-hardened you’ll be… and nothing can stop you from succeeding.
Let’s go deeper.
Even If You’re Not Motivated, Start.
Scared to set a goal and chase your dream?
Do it anyway. Give yourself a fighting chance by believing in yourself. The first step is to start. If you won’t even do that, nothing can help you.
It’s fine to be scared… but start anyway.
Avoid Delaying Actions
What? You have a lot of work? Excellent. You’ll need to work to progress.
Don’t fiddle around with tasks that make you look busy.
No! Work on the tasks you know you hate. Almost always, these are the ones that will matter most in your business. Get these tasks over and done with first thing in the day.
The more you delay, the more overwhelming they will seem. Once again, avoid thinking and just start.
Push Yourself
Runners build speed and stamina by always trying to beat their personal bests. It is NOT a comfortable feeling to try and run faster and faster over time. Your heart will be pounding and you’ll be gasping.
Yet, if you don’t push yourself, you’ll not shave off precious seconds from your timing.
In the same vein, keep pushing yourself to increase your output in a given period of time. For example, if you’re a writer who writes 4 pages an hour, try to do 5 pages or even 6 pages.
You might need to become a faster typist or use dictation software to speed things up.
Go ahead and use them. The end justifies the means. What matters is that you force yourself to level up and become more productive.
Work Longer
So simple and straightforward, yet so difficult to execute.
Instead of going for an hour break for lunch, cut it down to 30 minutes. Or better still, pack a sandwich that you can eat at your desk for 15 minutes.
Not only will you consume less calories, but you’ll feel less sluggish because you haven’t indulged in a heavy meal. Now you can get back to work sooner and feel better.
Set Bigger Goals
The bigger your goals, the more focused you’ll have to be.
You’ll need to expend more effort. Break down the big goals into smaller achievable milestones and give yourself a deadline for each milestone.
Now see if you can beat the deadline by working faster.
Shock Yourself
Take icy cold showers in the morning. You’ll probably hate to do it, but by going ahead with it anyway, you’ll develop your ‘muscle’ for handling discomfort.
The same can apply to not using social media, or eating clean or avoiding alcohol.
Whatever serves you well but brings you discomfort is a good challenge to take on. Over time, you’ll discover that you can win at anything you set your mind to.
Aim for the 6/7 Schedule
This means working for 6 days a week and taking the 7th day off. Your day off could be any day. It doesn’t have to be a Sunday.
What’s important is that you maintain the momentum. We live in a world where people emphasize the benefits of working less. Working 4 hours a week is like the ultimate achievement.
Really? What are you going to do with the rest of your time?
What can you do in 4 hours anyway?
No. You need to work longer, smarter and harder. That’s how you win.
In order to get comfortable while being in discomfort, you must embrace the pain and know you’re doing it for a greater cause – your success. So, you’ll keep going and keep challenging yourself.
As the weeks turn into months, you’ll strengthen your resolve. You’ll discover new strength and determination within you. The pain doesn’t scare you. In fact, it excites you because you know you can handle the challenge.
Now you’re ready to win, and you will.
Comment so I read how it is working out for you.