Truly living comes at the point between comfortability and uncomfortability.

This idea of “getting comfortable being uncomfortable” is far from my own. I’ve heard it from a life changing professor I had at college (Thanks Jerry), I’ve heard it at past companies I’ve had the pleasure of working at (Thanks Tom James)…I’ve especially heard it from my mother and father. It’s a great philosophy.

But what does it mean?

For the sake of visuals, I’m talking that “legs graze the person next you on the airplane and you both know it happened but you’re not going to address it ” type of uncomfortability.

Or that “long ride in the elevator with like seven people and for some reason all conversations stop and you all face the same way and wait it out” type of uncomfortability.

It’s alive in those weird situations where you want to flirt with the man or woman in front of you at the coffee shop but don’t; or the desire to walk to that corner office and ask your boss for a raise but don’t. These are things that are innately uncomfortable. In my opinion, being uncomfortable stems from a fear base.

But imagine if you were completely at peace with being uncomfortable. Imagine if you were completely at peace in the face of fear.

Something I’ve really tried to implement in the last couple years of my life is to give f***s about the things that actually need giving a f*** about. This philosophy is cemented from a book I read recently called “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***” by Mark Manson. It’s a fantastic book and I highly recommend it. One thing Mark talks about throughout the novel, and I’m paraphrasing here, is the basic fact that it’s not entirely about not giving a single f*** about anything, but it’s about giving the correct amount of f***s about some things.

(Okay enough ‘f’ words for one post, that paragraph was pretty fitting for them though…)

It’s about being fearful of the right things and making them a part of yourself.

This is what I believe to be the key to being comfortable being uncomfortable. We hear all the time about how failure is so important to success, well now one of my biggest goals is to fail more. This doesn’t mean I’m just so damn good at everything that I only know success. It actually is much worse – it means I’m too afraid of failing that I live in some safe, comfortable bubble convincing myself that it’s success.

One thing I used to be extremely uncomfortable with? Heights. The way I began to overcome my fear of heights after I fell and broke my back? Go to some of the highest places in North America and look down. After all, I learned that it’s not the heights we are afraid of; it’s falling from them.

I’ve already fallen, I’m at peace with that. I’m comfortable with heights now.

Moving forward…I have a challenge we can all try. This is something we can practice together, because I’m just as fearful of some specific things as the next and I realize that. (Also, it’s great accountability to tell everyone, so that way they question it and make sure you do it, so here I am telling everyone.)

One of my other fears, whether it’s personal or business related, is the disapproval of others. How I’m working to conquer that fear? There’s a couple ways.

1. Talk to five strangers every single day
2. Share things with others I have written about (presently doing)

I put myself around heights as much as I could, even though I was fearful of them, to try to become comfortable with them. Now I’d like to be comfortable with how uncomfortable I am with the approval- or disapproval- of others.

So ha! Screw you guys and your opinions! (Joking, I think you understand what I’m saying here. Your criticism or praise is still very important to me and is definitely noted, but I’m not doing this for you after all.)

Here I am to ask your help in holding me accountable. Help me get comfortable being uncomfortable. I’m also here to ask YOU to try implementing some fear into your own life. What are two ways every single day you can get extremely uncomfortable? Tell me them!

The best part about all of this is? You most likely don’t even have to graze someone else’s legs to feel awkward today, you at least get to be in control of that…

Anyways, onward! Kick some a** today.

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Dillon Pomeroy | (952) 836-5644 | dillonpomeroy@gmail.com