Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 81 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 81 of our Trek, and now that we have traveled the 6 trails of overcoming mediocrity, we are in the position to excel at a greater pace on our path as we create and build on our living legacy.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today has been a busy but productive day, and we were able to make some headway on a couple of projects.  We did receive some very good news about a friend that has been going through an extended time of trial, and we are very thankful for that. As we learn additional details and with his permission, I may be able to share his story on a future treks.

The trails of life can be unknown and unpredictable at times. We need to understand that life is not always how we would like it to be, but it is always how it is.  We may become very uncomfortable with the paths that we travel, so we need to choose to enjoy those journeys even in less than ideal conditions. Change makes all of us a bit uncomfortable, even if the outcome of that change is beneficial long term. As our global community rapidly changes, as we eluded to yesterday, we must learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.  That is the trail that we will travel together today.

This inspiring principle is actually taken from the Navy SEALS as one of their mantras is "Get comfortable being uncomfortable." Why is this so important? In your businesses and in your life, if you want to learn, grow, and succeed, you will have to go through a process of being uncomfortable to achieve growth. Anyone familiar with farming knows that in order to have a crop, the original seed is destroyed through the growth process.  Also Jesus confirms this principle in John 12:24, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels — a plentiful harvest of new lives."

Let’s look at three practical examples:

If you want to be physically fit, if you want to be healthy, or if you want to be somebody who’s got a lot of energy, what is required?  You must exercise and work out on a regular basis.  Many people go to a gym so that they have the proper equipment and are able to stay focused. But, the gym is not somewhere you go for comfort. It’s somewhere you go to get really uncomfortable for an hour, or a half an hour, or maybe for some of you, a couple of hours. And, you are going to push yourself. You’re going to see how much weight you can lift, how long you can run, or how hard you can push your body. And, during that time it’s going to be wildly uncomfortable. But, on the back side of that discomfort is better health, better energy, and a better physical appearance.

Tied to being physically fit, if you desire to be healthy, you must eat what is good and healthy for you, which will mean preparing your own meals using fresh, healthy, and whole foods. You'll also have to turn away from comfort foods and other food items that may taste good as you are eating them but do major damage to your body, including the horrible side effect of gaining weight. You have to be comfortable with feeling hungry and being uncomfortable until your body adapts to the new types of food that you consume.

To be successful in business requires hard work, dedication, and, at times, long hours with very little reward. You have to stretch yourself and learn. You have to be willing to risk the rejection and receive a lot of "no" in order to get to the potential for a "yes." The success is only going to come after you’ve stepped out of your comfort zo...