The Being Comfortable Doing Things That May Be Uncomfortable Approach

Great workers take this approach. They are comfortable doing things that may sometimes be uncomfortable.

They may do this when embarking on a course of medical treatment, climbing a mountain, leading a team or doing another activity. They choose to take this approach because they want to achieve a particular goal.

Different people follow it in different ways. Let’s explore the steps that some people take.

They clarify the benefits of
achieving the picture of success

Such people begin by clarifying their goal. They may aim to take care of their health, play in a sporting event, pursue a particular career, tackle a challenge or do another activity.

Bearing in mind their aim, they clarify the benefits of achieving the picture of success. They keep focusing on these benefits to motivate themselves during the journey.

They clarify what may be the comfortable and
uncomfortable things on the way to achieving success

Such people are often positive but realistic. They clarify both the pluses and minuses involved in working to achieve the goals.

They clarify the specific things they may find comfortable. They may be doing something where: a) they will be playing to their strengths; b) they will find it satisfying; c) they will get successes.

They clarify the specific things they may find uncomfortable. They may need to manage physical, psychological or other challenges. They focus on how they can manage these events.

Such people then look at the whole picture. Bearing in mind the goal they want to achieve, they clarify whether they are prepared to accept the whole package. If so, they move on to the next stage.

They do the comfortable and uncomfortable
things on the way to achieving success

Great workers move into action. Some take they following steps: a) they do the comfortable things; b) they manage the uncomfortable things; c) they do their best to achieve the picture of success.

Much depends, of course, on the specific issue a person is tackling. One leader described their approach in the following way.

“Looking at my professional life, I am comfortable doing many things in my role as a leader. These include making decisions, setting the direction and guiding the team to success.

“I am also comfortable doing some things that could be uncomfortable. These include making tough decisions, managing my financial backers and rebuilding the team.

“Looking at my personal life, I followed a similar approach when doing a course of radiotherapy. This involved starting by clarifying the goal – which was regain my health and live longer.

“There were things I was comfortable doing during the treatment. I also decided to be comfortable with some of the more inconvenient aspects. This helped me on the way towards achieving the goal.”

You may have encountered similar scenarios in your own life or work. Bearing in mind the goal to achieve, you may have decided: a) to build on the comfortable things; b) to manage the uncomfortable things; c) to work towards the picture of success.

Looking ahead, can you think of situation where you may want to follow elements of this approach? This could be in your personal or professional life.

What may be the specific situation? What may be the goal you want to achieve? How can you build on the comfortable things and manage the uncomfortable things? What may be the benefits of achieving the picture of success?

If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.