Since I started pushing myself and doing harder tasks, I've seen big improvements in my life. Is this a coincidence? Don't think so.

I wasn't always like this. Frequently, the fear of making mistakes or experiencing discomfort held me back. When I was uncomfortable, I couldn't sit still and always had to move around.

This was particularly true when I had to have a difficult conversation with someone. When emotions got involved, I couldn't find my footing.

Yet, confronting and accepting my discomfort has helped me grow. At the end of the day, I find it more fulfilling. I'm starting to reap the benefits of embracing discomfort. For instance, I can now maintain a steady conversation about my emotions. Even though it's still uncomfortable, it no longer overwhelms me.

Persisting through minor discomforts leads to improvement. Here are some areas where I've seen this principle in action in my own life:

• Waking up early has become easier

• Doing things I don’t want to do has become easier

• Working hard when I am tired has become easier

• Speaking up and standing my ground has become easier

• Handling my emotions has become easier

What is Discomfort and Where Does it Come From?

Being uncomfortable is defined as feeling uneasy, awkward, or without comfort. If we're outside of our comfort zone, feeling unhappy, or needing to work hard to feel happy, we often assume there's a problem.

Feeling comfortable means being at ease in your current situation. This sense of comfort stems from a deep-seated assurance of survival, which allows us to relax. It's all linked back to our primal instinct for survival. So, discomfort arises when something within us signals danger.

3 Types of Awareness

Our brain is complex, having evolved through millions of years. You don't need to be a neuroscientist to understand that. Nature gives us these changes from evolution through birth, and they are kept in our brain.

For now, we will make it easy to divide your brain into three states of thinking:

• Conscious mind: This is the part of our mind that holds everything we're currently aware of. It includes our thoughts, memories, feelings, and desires. We can talk about these logically. It also covers our memory, which isn't always in our immediate thoughts but can be easily remembered when needed.

• Preconscious: This includes anything that could potentially be brought into the conscious mind.

• Subconscious mind: This is where we store feelings, thoughts, wants, and memories that we don't actively think about. It often holds things we find hard to deal with, like pain, worry, or conflict.

It's important to know that an instinct called the Reptilian brain lives in your subconscious mind. This part of the brain makes many of our decisions without us realizing it.

It meets our basic needs like reproduction, power, self-protection, fear, hunger, and escape. It also handles automatic tasks like breathing and heartbeat.

So, the reptilian brain wants you to stay comfortable to continue fulfilling your basic needs. Even if you consciously want to grow as a person, your reptilian brain is holding you back subconsciously.

Devil and Angel

You have a voice in your head that you're always in dialogue with.

• Every opinion you have when reading this.

• Everything you think.

• Every choice you make.

There is always a conversation between you and that voice in your head, that voice is part of the Preconscious. It is always in contact with both your subconscious and your conscious. It is both your devil and your angel.

• Your Angel: It encourages you to develop by influencing your conscious mind's thoughts. It aims to transfer these thoughts, beliefs, and desires into your subconscious.

• Your Devil: It tries to keep you safe and out of control based on the needs of the Reptilian brain. If you stay in your comfort zone or fulfill the needs of your Reptilian brain, your survival is secure.

If you go out partying and chase after many guys and girls (out of control), it is your devil who is in control. If you hit snooze 5 times and get out of bed too late, it is the devil who is in control.

If you wake up early even if you don’t want to get out of bed, you feed your angel. If you have a great workout even though you didn't want to go, you feed your angel.

The more you feed your angel, the easier it gets to win against the devil and vice versa. The part of you that is the largest depends on how you can handle being uncomfortable.

stages of comfort and growth

There are four stages of growth, each with its own charm. Each stage has distinct points that help you recognize where you are.

• Comfort Zone: It's safe and comfortable. You take low risks and stay where you are.

• Fear Zone: You seek approval from others, lack confidence, and often find reasons not to act.

• Learning Zone: You learn and develop more skills, solve problems, and confront challenges.

• Growth Zone: You set new goals, live your dreams, and overcome the fears you've confronted.

When you know in which stages of growth you are. You can connect that to your inner Angel and Devil, and in that way manage your growth.

1). Identify the stage of growth you're at in a specific target or subject you want to achieve

2). Identify what fears or obstacles you need to overcome to achieve it

3). Consistently be conscious of the choices you make; don’t let your inner devil win

Is Being Uncomfortable Now Worth It?

To be honest, I don't know. That is a choice you have to make yourself. Because I can only speak from personal experience.

On my Italy trip, my friends and I found big rocks for jumping, about 6 to 7 meters tall. Despite my initial fear and discomfort, I took the plunge. Surprisingly, the first jump provided relief, and it spurred me to leap again. Breaking that barrier created a new comfort zone through uncomfortable actions.

For me, it is worth it to go out of my comfort zone and keep improving.

You now understand your discomfort. It's due to the instincts you've developed and the beliefs you hold in your mind.

You've learned how to handle discomfort. Get involved by listening to your inner thoughts. Train your subconscious to weigh your options.

You can identify the stage you're at in your journey to become more comfortable and grow.

Now, the choice is yours. What kind of life do you want to live?

Take the blue pill and remain in your comfort zone, or take the red pill and leap from the high rocks.

If you want more!!

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That's it for now. I wish you a good day - Job Baltes.