Stop making decisions to relieve temporary discomfort.

It's natural to want to relieve pressure. But trouble starts when you give into relieving discomfort. 👇🏻

I really don't like to be uncomfortable. I'm certain you don't like to be either. Being uncomfortable can be the lack of sleep due to a newborn. It can be soreness after a tough workout. It can be stress from a deadline. Or it can be a conversation you have to have with someone. All these examples of discomfort are temporary. When you are faced with temporary discomfort, they are an opportunity to grow.

Rather than focusing on relieving temporary discomfort, lean into it. Lean into temporary discomfort because it'll give you insight into real growth opportunities.

Weight training was a regular part of my routine as a collegiate athlete. It did not bring me joy. I remember the voices in my head in the middle of a 12-repetition set saying "you don't have to finish this set" or "should've put on less weights". Everything in my body and mind was looking for a way out of the discomfort. In that moment, I could have had the attitude of getting it over with but I had to reset my mind on why I was training and doing what I was doing. I had a responsibility. I had teammates. I wanted to win. So, instead of focusing on relieving temporary discomfort, I would focus on my form. I'd pay attention to my back posture or my knee positioning. I'd focus on the control in my grip. I'd even try to pay attention to the pressure on the bottom of my feet.

I've found that I do the same thing with everyday discomfort.

I was loading the dishes the other day and this was after a really long and tiring day. The voices in my head were telling me to do it in the morning. I do the dishes to help my wife. Instead of staring at the dishes, I started to load them. Then I started to further optimize where I put the dishes. I was seeing if I could put the cups in a different configuration to fit in more.

I know this is insane, but it's a real example of how to overcome the need to relieve temporary discomfort in every facet of our days.

Here's simple 3-step process for leaning into temporary discomfort:

1. Notice the inner voice.

2. Remember your why.

3. Focus on executing well.

Every time I've leaned into temporary discomfort is that I got better. It was incremental, but there's no other way to get lasting growth.

The problem with relieving temporary discomfort is that it robs you of the opportunity to have discipline over the inner voice wanting to be lazy, to quit, to avoid doing the work to grow.

"The more important a call to action is to our soul's evolution, the more Resistance we will feel about answering it. But to yield to Resistance deforms our spirit. It stunts us and makes us less than we are and were born to be." (Steven Pressfield, The War of Art)

As a coach, help others to lean into discomfort.

As a leader, lead by example.

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