Comfort

Many people say that adversity makes us stronger and that we grow from pain. I have been known to echo those sentiments to clients as well. While all of us will endure some sort of suffering during our lives, and hopefully we will learn from those experiences, it’s important to point out that growth doesn't only occur from discomfort.

We can grow from many things: being around our closest friends, silence, nature, movies, music, family, reading, doodling, mind wandering, playing, listening, speaking, etc. In the race to praise discomfort, we often ignore the beauty of comfort. Can discomfort expedite the learning curve? Sure, but it’s not the only way. Additionally, plenty of us go through pain and don’t learn a damn thing. Discomfort isn’t the source of our growth, our reflection of the discomfort is. That’s key.

Further, when we are comfortable with teammates/co-workers, we create the ability to anticipate and operate in a more cohesive manner. We are provided with psychological safety to make mistakes. Collective experience often creates comfort, and the best teams in the world often have tremendous shared experiences. So, how might we think about comfort and discomfort going forward?

Figure out when to be comfortable with the uncomfortable and when to be comfortable with the comfortable. Comfort is not our enemy, but it’s not necessarily our friend either. Both are needed. Embrace them.