(Ginni Rometty speaks to more than 200 South African business leaders at the IBM CIO Leadership Exchange in Johannesburg, South Africa by ibmphoto24 via #Flickr)

Be Uncomfortable: Create positive change

Clayton Jensen
Jul 27, 2017 · 3 min read

“Someone once told me growth and comfort do not coexist. And I think it’s a really good thing to remember.” — Ginni Rometty ~ Chairman, President, and CEO of IBM

We have a genetic urge to want to be comfortable. From the amount of money that we make to the house that we buy to the food that we eat, and even the clothes that we wear, we are driven to do whatever it takes to make ourselves more comfortable.

We see this inevitability of wanting comfort that manifests itself even in those who leave the modern-day world behind to homestead and live off the land.

There are many people who have the urge to leave the conveniences of modern day technology behind in order to better connect to nature and the old way of doing things.

What I find so interesting is that as someone reconnects with the way their ancestors once lived, with few amenities and pleasantries of today’s society, the urge to be comfortable still drives them.

Even while living in the backwoods of Arkansas or the frigid mountains in Alaska, every daily chore is towards the goal of making life a little easier, a little more comfortable.

From trying to find an easier way to chop wood to creating a more self-sustaining garden, even when we give up the modern-day comforts, we are still driven each moment to make life a little more convenient, a little bit
more cozy.

There is no problem with wanting to be comfortable as it is this desire that keeps us alive, while nature may have it otherwise.

The issue with comfort arises when it stops us from trying something new, from pushing past uncomfortable barriers that disallow for us to make a large impact on the lives of those around us.

Driving off to work each day is by no means easy but it is our desire to be comfortable, to have the amenities that we believe provides us comfort, that tells us this is what we have to do.

If we are solely focused on only doing enough to help us survive today, we are unable to create a better world for tomorrow.

Our goal in life cannot just be to maintain, it needs to be to affect positive change regardless of how uncomfortable the process may be.

What are you doing with today larger than just making a paycheck? What are you doing to push your boundaries of comfort in order to make the necessary impact that spurs positive change?

Trying something new, working at something that gets us out of our comfort zone is not easy, but what is much harder is knowing we lived a life where all we cared about was doing what felt comfortable.

Each one of us has the innate ability to make the communities in which we live a healthier, better place when we set aside our daily desire for comfort.

No matter what it is that you are working for, if you are pushing your boundaries beyond the realm of comfort, keep going, and push a little harder.

It is when a tree pushes past the canopy above that it is finally able to grow.

IBM Cognitive Business

@GinniRometty

    Clayton Jensen
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