Do you have a word of the year? I do. I was hoping that by now I would have changed it, but no. It still applies. I even struggled with sharing it because it seems so negative. The first time I shared it with a business mastermind group, I was met with great concern because of the immediate meaning of the word.
Are you curious as to what it is?
Discomfort.
There you have it. Discomfort is my word of the year. I understand the concern of my business friends. And I believe it is the perfect word for me this year.
Why?
We often talk about stepping out of our comfort zone. AND if you’re stepping out of your comfort zone, what are you stepping into?
Discomfort.
We live in a culture where we idolize comfort. Don’t believe me? Look at any advertisement. They are selling us comfort and we convincing us that we DESERVE it. We NEED it. We even categorize things based on comfort as good and bad. Comfortable--GOOD. Uncomfortable--BAD. We avoid discomfort at all costs. But at what cost?
So much good comes from choosing to step into discomfort. It’s where self-awareness happens. It’s where growth happens. It’s where transformation happens. I would even venture to say that you can’t have these things without discomfort.
I’d like to say that I am getting comfortable with discomfort. That’s not exactly true. I am getting more familiar with discomfort. I am seeing the value in discomfort. And therefore, I am not working so hard to avoid it. In fact, I am finding opportunities to step into discomfort. Because that’s where the good stuff happens.