Adversity & Seeking Discomfort

I’m currently on a journey to purposely seek more discomfort in my life.

That sentence may sound strange and like outright madness but to me, it’s the most righteous way to live. I’m a huge fan of any individual who has demonstrated the capability to go beyond the covential norms and what others felt was possible. All of my idols whether Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, or David Goggins, are the embodiment of going beyond the realm of expectation and pushing through any emotional or mental barrier that stood in front of them.

I often hear that my generation (millennials) are too soft and we don’t know what hard work looks like and I’m slightly inclined to agree. Overall I believe our lives are physically less difficult than the generations before us for a number of reasons including technological advancements but also because in the mid to late 20th century, a lot more careers required you to work with your hands and hard labour was how you earned your money.

I can put myself through hours of intense work on my laptop or be on the phone all day in an effort to win new business but ask me to do yard work and my body may just break.

I am always seeking a new challenge and way to either test my mental or physical toughness. I encourage anyone reading this to find a creative way to push themselves beyond what they ‘believe’ they’re capable of. Looking back at periods in my life where I can say I have grown the most, a moment of temporary discomfort preceded my eventual progress and I have no doubt you have countless examples of this in your own life.

Seek discomfort to challenge yourself, build a better version of yourself, and more importantly, test the limits of what you’re capable of.

Nathan Pearson — Smith