GTDW — Why being uncomfortable is your key growth area…

Jinesha Gandhi
Jul 27, 2017 · 4 min read

Have you ever faced a day where you get into your car and then don’t remember how you got to your destination — house, office or gym?

It is natural for us to tune out when we are used to doing the same thing. Routine makes you feel comfortable, at ease and in control. But constant routine makes you dull in your ability to grow your skill and knowledge.

Heck I never knew I could write blogs until I got out of my comfy zone. The first few drafts were not easy to do as I have no formal writing experience but I just went with it and now I have developed a new hobby.

A little bit of discomfort goes a long way in improving your performance, creativity and learning in the long run.

By getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, we can break through our limits and really focus on our core values, leading to tremendous growth.

Good things in life come to those who take risks. If you avoid any new experiences then you are missing out on the best that life has to offer. The longer that you wait, procrastinate, the more “comfortable” you are getting with the status quo…and that’s not a very fun place to be.

Once you are out of your comfort zone you are in a position to take risks and learn something new. When I was asked to do cost and man hour estimations for products it was completely new for me and I was lost on how to begin.

But with some encouragement and failing two three times, I learned the basics of how to estimate which was all that was needed at that point. Especially being a dyslexic numbers and me just never got along!

My Top 3 insights on how to embrace being uncomfortable:

1. Don’t be scared –

It’s natural to feel the scare of failure happening especially when you’re going to do something completely new and explore unknown areas.

Failing is not bad…in fact it can be your best teacher that is if you learn from it.

Naturally when you do something for the first time you cant be the best at it.

Think of it like cooking the first few times you will end up burning the food, or add less salt or maybe even make it very spicy but that does not stop you in trying your hand at it again and again.

I remember when I got my first application to make with a bunch of complete developers it was super difficult to understand what they were saying so how would I have solved their problems….I didn’t give up in fact I embraced it and I was honest to my team that coding was not my background they appreciated it and helped me grow my knowledge. — Mark Zukerberg

2. Embrace it –

Embracing situations is half the battle won! It boils to accepting what is in front of you and making the best use of it. I come from an art and animation background but I ended up taking project management in IT because the city I lived in didn’t have many options in my field.

Initially it was so difficult for me to relate to my team, talk to my clients in solving their problems. I had to first accept the fact that I was unaware of IT jargons and how things are done.

The first thing I did was asked questions it didn’t matter how intelligent or stupid it sounded but I knew to understand I needed to know.

I was completely transparent with my team that I was not from this industry and some of them were supporting enough to teach me on how things are done.

The only thing constant in life is CHANGE!

3. Always stay Curious –

Learning never stops…those you think they know it all whether its their job or in their personal life are the ones who fail to grow. As Steve Jobs once said “Stay Hungry Stay Foolish” he meant that never be satisfied and always push yourself.

When you push your limits you discover skills that you may never have thought off. The best example here would be Babies/Kids they are the most curious people of all. They want to know everything…when a baby is born in a few months they try to stand on their own feet, crawl or even sit up. They keep pushing themselves without the thought of failing or hurting themselves.

There is always something to learn it doesn’t only mean at your job but also outside work.

I have often heard people say “this is not possible” they give up so easily…the challenge and fun is in solving that impossible task in front of you.

People who become great — no matter their field or area of endeavor — are those who are willing to be uncomfortable over and over again on the way to mastery.

Do let me know your thoughts on this subject in the comments section below.

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