It’s ok to be uncomfortable, I think Human nature is to look for the path of least resistance. I also think we are looking for that path because we’re hard wired for survival and hard things could possibly lead to harm and ultimately we want to survive.
So what happens when we sit around all day in a bubble not getting uncomfortable in any way? We become weak, frail and sick both physically and mentally.
I think as a society this is our greatest down fall. As much as technology has advanced society over the last decade its also sent us back multiple decades all at the same time.
Think of the greatest things in life, they ALL come after a period of being uncomfortable!
The Greatest Things
1. A Child- What a Mother has to go through to have a child is beyond uncomfortable
2. Dream Job or Business- The amount of sacrifice made to get there is at the very least uncomfortable
3. Finding Love- Everything from the heartbreak that led to that person to the uncomfortable first date
This list goes on! Want bigger muscle? Get uncomfortable, run your first marathon? Get uncomfortable, get leaner? Get Uncomfortable…
Do NOT do yourself the injustice of running away from uncomfortable things, instead embrace them and watch yourself grow not only physically but mentally and spiritually.
Your daily mantra should be seeking out a way to get uncomfortable. You’ll become a more resilient, well rounded human being.
I first learned this from playing sports as a kid but the lessons never really took hold deep down until I went into Kombat arts for the first time and tried my first Muay Thai class and then my first BJJ class. I was in good shape, decently strong, young and filled with testosterone. All of that on my side and I got the absolute crap kicked out of me by smaller, weaker, older guys. It was uncomfortable on so many levels, it was uncomfortable having NO skills, it was uncomfortable being in WORSE shape then I thought, it was uncomfortable being in a class of killer humans, it was UNCOMFORTABLE being choked out by a guy that looked half my size and physical capability! It was UNCOMFORTABLE that my soft feet were bleeding everywhere fro turning over kick after kick on the bag.
After those first 2 sessions I had 2 choices.
1. Take the road of least resistance and the comfortable way out and stay home
2. Show up AGAIN, get the crap kicked out of me and show up AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN
For the next decade I didn’t stop showing up, I won many fights and tournaments. I had absolute wars in the ring. I ended up in the hospital with broken ribs twice, hematoma’s (blood pooling) underneath my quad muscle, surgery on my cauliflower ears, had my nose cauterized twice (they burn in the inside of your nostrils with a soldering iron so it builds scar tissue) then my nose wouldn’t bleed when I got punched or kicked in the face, every single thing UNCOMFORTABLE. I grew as a human and my confidence grew in what I was capable of handling.
Fighting may not be in your future and I get that LOL BUT what about your first 5k run? or your first C rossFit comp? or joining The Open? Something that makes you UNCOMFORTABLE will be the best thing you’ve ever done for yourself.
Coach Dan