Risk + Discomfort

I realized today that I'm pretty inflexible.

Not in my mindset; I'm literally inflexible, like in my legs.

And today, when I tried to become more flexible, I got myself into a position that was super uncomfortable. 

I was in a yoga class and we had to hold this extremely uncomfortable position for an extremely uncomfortable amount of time. The teacher said this,

"Think about what you do when you're uncomfortable. Do you run away? Do you try to escape it somehow? Stay here, even if you're pissed off. What if you stayed in this position instead of trying to get out of it? Imagine the release once you make it to the end."

Risk creates discomfort. 

And we usually do something else so we don't have to feel it.

We try to get out of it. Or we don't get into it in the first place.

Risk may even be too strong a word.

Change. Change creates discomfort.

Have you been thinking about changing jobs? Are you making lots of excuses about why now is a bad time? Is it possible that you are avoiding the discomfort? 

How long do you think that discomfort will really last, if you're being honest? Maybe through the first week of the new job? 

What about starting a new project? Is it possible you might fail? Does the idea of failing make you want to avoid starting in the first place? How 

Joining a class? Picking up a new hobby? Dating?

It's easy to stay where you are and to stay comfortable.

But aren't you just a little bit curious about what's on the other side of your discomfort? Don't you want the chance to feel into what you are capable of?

I stayed in that uncomfortable position for minutes that felt like hours. Tears welled up in my eyes. Not tears of pain, just tears of discomfort. 

But I did it. And I was pissed. But now, hours later, I'm still feeling the release and the self-confidence. I pushed myself, not too far, just far enough to see what I could do.

If you want some help getting more flexible and walking through discomfort on your way to transformation in your career, book a discovery call with me. We've got big work to do together.