What I Learned being Uncomfortable

Nicholas Tran
Sep 8, 2018 · 3 min read

As an introvert, speaking to 1 stranger let alone 30+ by the end of my recent challenge encompassed both fear and excitement. I’ve learned a lot…


Before we begin, I want to mention that this is an extension to a previous article i’ve written. If you haven’t read it, I’d highly recommend you take 3 min to read the article linked below…


Now where was I…

Being uncomfortable sucks. But if success involved never having to experience uncomfortable situations, we’d all be successful a lot faster.

With my challenge, once I had the first meeting scheduled, I simply had to commit and gain as much value from each conversation as possible. (Embracing the process and not being lost in the distant future or results).

Realizing this, I began to be more present in the moment in order to fully embrace what was happening. This was extremely eye opening, i’ve always thought of what I would be doing in the future, even if the event was days out. But once I focused on what was happening in the moment, I became more relaxed, more poetic with my conversations and more mindful of the now. (I’m working on bettering this day by day).

Creating this uncomfortable challenge for myself, I’ve truly grown personally, which was the ultimate intention after all. I hold better conversations now, I am less afraid to connect and I ultimately feel more confident in what I have to say rather than allowing self doubt to dictate my actions — and reactions.


The cliche thought is, you have to struggle sometimes and be in uncomfortable situations in order to allow yourself to grow from that experience, which is true to a degree.

I always thought that in order to be successful, i’d have to be in rock bottom and successfully reach the surface again, which isn’t the case at all. Every experience is a learning experience (no matter how insignificant or impactful) so long as we have the right mindset about it and reflect with an open mind.

Though I had uncomfortable experiences in the past that i’ve learned from, this experience was different. Realizing that I was more mindful of the goal, the intentions and the results shortly after, I was able to reflect on what happened and analyze what truly led to its success but more importantly its lessons.


  • You don’t have to hit rock bottom to learn something new and grow from the experience.
  • A certain level of discomfort, so long as it’s for growth, never hurts.
  • You become better on the other side of discomfort.
  • If you live life without any discomfort in terms of growth, some may say you aren’t living at all.

Due to the success I received from this challenge, for some odd reason I feel an urge (kind of like the travel bug people get when they first travel) to get into more uncomfortable situations more than ever. Not because I like being uncomfortable, but because I know that at the other end of it, I will become better than who I was the day before.


I appreciate the time you’ve taken to read this. If you have any questions or comments, i’m open to criticism. Also, feel free to connect with me on Linkedin…

Nicholas Tran

Written by

Embracing passionate curiosity.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade