OfPonderingWandering

We all crave for comfort, but it can quietly kill our growth, and stagnate us. Discover how this trap of comfort works- and the one question that can break it. 

If we want to grow as human beings, then we must be okay with discomfort- change demands it. 

Take learning in school, for example- was it a comfortable process? Not at all!

First we need to focus. Then we need to understand what we just learned. After that, we apply it. We get some things wrong, so we try again. Finally, comes the commitment of practice, practice, practice until eventually we get it. What unites the whole process? Discomfort!

Yet, we are better for it. We have literally rewired our brains- and yes, that is possible. 

The same is true for self-growth. Discomfort defines it! No matter if we want to change our thought patterns, our bodies, or heal, we have to run an uphill marathon of discomfort. For the ultimate reward of an actualized self: A quiet, peaceful, and calm mind,  

Yet, there is a problem. We all know that we “Have to put in the work’ to get anything out of life. But, we just can’t seem to do it. Why? We get stuck in comfort. 

I am not saying that comfort is bad. It’s a hallmark of safety and security. That promotes some solemn rest (which we all need these days). But if we lack moderation, comfort will eventually poison and kill you- metaphorically, of course. Even the great Stoic Marcus Aurelius battled it 

“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: ‘I have to go to work—as a human being.’”

And that was long before smartphones. Today, the battle is even harder than ever, the moment we feel boredom- a state of discomfort caused by a lack of stimulation- we grab for our phones. 

And unfortunately, this creates a cycle of boredom > phone > instant comfort > repeat. Apps are even designed with this ‘principle’ in mind. They feed into this loop, holding our attention and trapping us in a numbing state without us even knowing it. Then eventually, hours, days, months, even years slip by. 

And at the end of all this, when we begin to ‘sober up’, we begin to feel regret as we realize how much we missed.  The opportunities, changes, relationships, and our life that we never reached. All because we were barred within the cage of comfort. 

So the question becomes…

How do we change?

Find out next time!