Do you want to live an easy life or a difficult one? I know, it’s a worthless question because who wants to live a life filled with pain and suffering? Yet, this is what many people choose every day, whether they are conscious of it or not. I don’t intend to disparage them, however in coaching hundreds of people over the years, many of them unknowingly choose a difficult life because they make easy choices instead of important ones. Considering this, think about the choices you’re making right now and their respective actions. Are they moving you towards growth and freedom or pain and suffering? Easy choices means staying within our comfort zone without exploring our limitations where real growth occurs. Sure, it’s difficult to venture outside our comfort zone because of the psychological and emotional strain. However, if we do what is easy, life will be difficult because our comfort zone does not equate to personal growth to achieve our bigger goals. How does this appeal to you? Is this something you’re willing to explore personally and professionally? I assure you, challenges allow us to delve into the greater depths of our resiliency instead of staying safe.

It’s why we mustn’t give up on our goals or highest ambitions when life gets tough, as it no doubt will. We mustn’t give up because we don’t know how far we will go when we rise above our challenges and obstacles. It is said we achieve our goals by growing into them, therefore growth is proportionate to our self-improvement. Growth takes place in adverse conditions because most people will thrive when conditions are favourable, yet struggle through difficulties. However, life’s conditions are never ideal and so we must show up with total conviction that we will prevail, even if we don’t know how. Most times we will have little knowledge how to proceed because of limited information and the uncertainty of our actions. This mustn’t hold us back because giving up is not the easy way out since we must live with regret and disappointment. In view of this, I’d like you to reflect on a current goal or endeavour you want to give up on. Is this your only choice or have you considered other options? I don’t have the answers because I don’t know you to offer the advice you need. Similarly, I can’t look into a crystal ball and predict the future because neither of us are equipped with psychic powers. But what I can tell you is more often than not, giving up is rarely the answer because if we take the easy way out, we are assured of difficult times ahead. We are likely to miss out on the personal growth that takes place when we expose ourselves to situations beyond our comfort zone.

We Must Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Is this making sense to you? Have you experienced times where you stepped out of your comfort zone, whether it be learning a new skill, habit or otherwise? If so, what did you learn from the experience and has it served you? It’s no surprise that life isn’t smooth sailing and if we want to achieve anything of value, we must do things that scare us every once in a while and integrate it into our reality. We must get comfortable being uncomfortable and those who give up too soon find it difficult being uncomfortable, i.e. out of their comfort zone. Sometimes giving up may be necessary, yet in most parts we can learn to channel the skills we gain from our endeavours and use them to pivot in a new direction or develop a greater awareness of our goals. So considering this, I’d like you to write down five advantages and disadvantages of giving up on a project, a dream, a relationship or career? Look at your answers and connect with the underlying motivation behind them. Reflect on why you undertook this goal in the first place and connect with what you hope to gain by giving up. It is only once we are aware of our motives that we can overcome any regret or disappointment. Otherwise, life is likely to be hard because we pursued what is easy instead of what is essential to our growth. And as you know, real growth correlates to bigger and better achievements.