Endure.
It's human nature to seek comfort, but sometimes the fear of being uncomfortable prevents us from reaching our potential.
Relaxation, sleep, vacation and general comfort are important for our physical and mental health. Like food, its important to give ourselves the proper amount of it and refrain from excess. Comfort in particular is something people are extremely afraid of giving up.
As a society, we’ve got convenience at the palm of our hand. We can watch TV on our phones wherever we are. We can get food and groceries delivered to our houses within a day (sometimes within hours). Every day there is a new app to make our lives easier and quite frankly, it’s awesome!
The key is to not forget the benefits being uncomfortable at times. When we set lofty goals for ourselves, we are going to have to go through inconvenient, tough moments. You’re going to have to go workout when you are tired. You’ll have to study when all your friends are out having fun together. You’ll have to work a crap position at work to get the one you really want. Even worse, sometimes you have to get up early and put in extra time before the sun comes up (yep, no fun).
Sometimes it just flat out sucks.
When we embrace these moments and welcome the suck, we see what we are really made of. Our character shows most when we are being tested. When things are going great, it’s easy to put on a smile and go about your day. It’s hard to put on that smile and stay motivated when things aren’t going well and you feel like you’re barely scraping by. However, if you can endure the struggle and keep pushing, there’s very little that can stop you.
By no means, do I think you should shy away from comfort. On the contrary, I think it’s important above all to enjoy your life. It’s just as important to push ourselves when it’s time to get to work, though. As cliche as it sounds, go make your dreams a reality with unrelenting effort and passion. Wondering “what if” is a slow death, but a death nonetheless. Love the life you’re living and endure the suck when you have to.
“Losers find an excuse. Winners find a way.” -Alay Desai
