As I finish up my chiropractic adjustment and I’m paying the bill, the young lady at the front desk asks me how I’m feeling. I looked at her and said, “it’s uncomfortable but good.” And she nods in agreement and said, “I get it.” At that moment, something I read from Developing The Leader Within You 2.0 by John Maxwell came to mind. The concept was something along the lines of “people prefer to stay in the comfort of their problems than in the discomfort of the solution.” This is a new concept that I’ve been thinking through. And it’s so true. This is why so many people are stuck in the rut of misery and refuse to change.
Let’s unpack this for a second. How often in our lives do we start something and quit the moment it gets too difficult or requires an adjustment which is slightly uncomfortable? We weigh the results of our discomfort against the stagnation of our comfort and decided it’s not worth the change. It’s not worth the effort. It’s not worth the discomfort. Now how often do we look back at those moments in regret? Wishing we’d tough it out, dealt with the temporary discomfort to be better off in the end? I’d say over 50% of the time that’s the case.
Let’s look at what happens when we deal with it because we value the results after our discomfort. When people get braces to fix the issue of misaligned teeth and spaces, they usually are in some level of discomfort for a few days or weeks. Then they get used to it. When they go back for a check up, and the dentist makes an adjustment, discomfort occurs yet again. This process is repeated until the problem is fixed. Even post braces, people wear retainers for years to maintain this correction. This is a case where someone stuck out the discomfort of their solution, rather than give up and stay in the comfort of their issues.
Everything in life where we aren’t happy with our situation will require us to get uncomfortable temporarily to be happy in the long run. Dieting and exercise, venturing out into entrepreneurship, starting a new blog, making friends, starting a family. If you don’t like where you are, don’t let the comfort of your known situation prevent you from the growing pains of your solution.
