If presented with the choice of comfort or discomfort, human instinct suggests that our response would be comfort, and understandably so; we human beings possess reason, thus it makes sense that we would opt for comfort over discomfort on any random day of the week. As logical as it is to prefer one over the other, I’m here to tell you that choosing to be comfortable all of the time is a surefire way to crush character and resilience.
None of us is exactly yearning to be uncomfortable, but there really is a beauty in uncomfortability. Without it, we fail to have the opportunity to push ourselves, both mentally and physically, to discover how strong we truly are, and strength is something I think most of us could benefit from these days.
I implore you to consider suffering, if you will. By no means a pleasant experience, suffering is a guaranteed means to harden oneself, and ‘buck up,’ so to speak. I think we can all say we have encountered people in life who perhaps haven’t had to suffer at all, or enough, as cruel as that sounds, and have been granted everything on a silver platter with all of the bells and whistles. When we meet these sorts of people, it is natural to feel a little bit of jealousy. But, to be entirely transparent, I would much rather encounter hardships and build character as opposed to skating through life on a whim and taking everything for granted.
Being uncomfortable is important. It serves as a reminder of what life could be like for us had we changed our trajectory along the way, and it’s also an excellent means to remain mindful of the blessings we do have in our own lives. Push yourself to tolerate discomfort and see where it gets you. You might be surprised.
Photo by @chairulfajar_ on Unsplash
ontheedgeofeverything 