The Year of Living Uncomfortably
Originally published January 4, 2011
I recently read that “a person’s success in life can usually be measured by the amount of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.” Many people begin the year by starting a new exercise or other routine that can have them feeling sore or out of sorts, and doing this with your patterns of interaction and communication can also reap rewards.
Like any muscle, growth happens outside of your comfort zone.
Maybe that uncomfortable conversation needs to be with your boss, that contact for your dream gig, your partner, a parent, your neighbor, that cute guy/girl you’ve been eyeing, that celebrity you’d love to talk with, or just putting yourself in a foreign social situation.
But it’s also that
honest conversation you need to have with yourself in order to face the reality of your life as it is versus the way you’d like it to be
-
because the one common denominator in your life is YOU
, and taking responsibility for why it is the way it is is paramount, if not always pleasant.
The good news is that
by chatting with yourself on a regular basis, you can know what changes you need to make
to move your life closer to your ideal!
Not quite feeling it? I say, "Fake it till you make it" and remind you that, like Einstein said, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." So
if things aren’t going your way, why not try a slightly different approach from your usual MO?
Or you can go whole hog and
be like
George Costanza in the Seinfeld episode
where he does the exact opposite of what he would normally do, to some hilarious effects and success!
So this year resolve to
have those challenging conversations, not care what people think, try new things without worrying whether you’ll look foolish
, stand out in a crowd, and be OK with not being perfect. (Well, those were some of mine…just insert whatever makes you uncomfortable!)
Wondering how to get from here to there? Give me a buzz and
I’ll be your personal trainer to stretch those inner muscles
, help you have that heart-to- heart with yourself, and make your discomfort as comfortable as possible along the way!
Remember, you can always see PGGs from any month or year going back to 2010 on my website at
www.kristinaleonardi.com
and visit my social media pages for more inspiration throughout the week! Want to share my PGG? Use my
Medium
page for friendliest posting version.
