As much as I like to create coziness, peacefulness, and ease in my home, I also strive to maintain a certain amount of discomfort in my life as well.
After all, what would endless comfort in life actually look like? Wouldn’t it actually lead to chaos in the home, lack of ambition, and ultimately lack of purpose?
Lack of Purpose = Lack of Days
My husband played a little piece of a podcast on longevity for me the other day. It referenced a study of the longest-lived people and their habits/lifestyle.
It turns out that what these centenarians have in common is community and purpose.
The study also found that the steeper the incline the person has to climb to reach home, the longer the person lives.
So lack of community, lack of purpose, and lack of drive ultimately leads to dissatisfaction with life and fewer days.
Lack of Purpose = Lack of Sales
My husband played for me another podcast in which an entrepreneur was speaking about his experience switching his employees from commission to salary.
It turns out that people tend to avoid conflict, even if that “conflict” is potentially minor, such as asking for a sale or asking for a bigger sale.
The entrepreneur discovered that even his best sales associates sold less when on salary, due in no small part to their desire to avoid the “conflict” of asking the client for a sale.
Lack of Discomfort = Lack of Success
It is often said that men make more money than women in the same position… is that because women are satisfied with less? Or is that because women avoid conflict more than men?
It is generally perceived that asking for a raise, like asking for a sale, is uncomfortable.
Many things that are necessary for advancement in life require discomfort, from getting a raise, to being treated fairly, and even asking someone on a date.
Getting What You Want
If we really want to make it to the next level, we must be willing to be uncomfortable. So many people are so unwilling to be uncomfortable that they drop out and give up on their dreams. Let’s not be one of them!
Let us focus on what we really want and PUSH for it. Push until we get it. Push past the comfort and discomfort, and across the finish line.
We can push with grace and elegance. We can push firmly and sweetly. We can push with strength and a smile.
The important thing is to push until we win. Which doesn’t mean that the other person loses. Winning with strength and grace means we and the other person both achieve something.
Closing Thoughts
May we always seek a certain amount of discomfort in our lives – the discomfort that comes from striving to achieve what we want. May the climb be as steep as the length of days we seek.
Happy climbing,
~Kate
