"There are risks and costs to a plan of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction."-- John F. Kennedy

"Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”-- Brian Tracy

“How can we ever know what we’re truly capable of if we’re not trying to do what we don’t think we can, every single day? And that means being afraid, and doing it anyway.” – Siri Lindley

It is natural and normal to seek comfort and security. Unfortunately, our collective desire for comfort often stands in the way of our personal growth, which is essential for our long term happiness.

Researchers Kaitlin Woolley and Ayelet Fishbach conducted five different experiments in which people were engaging in various personal growth activities where participants were told that their goal was to feel uncomfortable, awkward, nervous and anxious. They were then told to push past their comfort zone because feeling uncomfortable is a sign that the activity is working. Other participants weren’t told to embrace discomfort, instead to simply focus on learning and developing their skills.

Ultimately, the researchers found that people who aimed to be uncomfortable were more engaged in their activities, felt more motivated to keep doing them, and believed they made more progress toward their goals compared to those who weren’t seeking out this kind of vulnerability.

It starts with your mindset. You must be willing to allow yourself to be and to feel uncomfortable. Practice makes perfect. As with most actions you repeat over time, eventually you can and will build up a tolerance for being and feeling uncomfortable. As Nelson Mandela once said, “courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it.” Onward and upward.