“If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.”
- C. S. Lewis
I like my bed. Although it’s nearly fourteen years old, it is still quite comfortable. I sleep well. And the chair in which I now sit behind my desk, with all it’s clever adjustments and levers, is also comfortable. It allows me to focus on work instead of the lower back pain I experienced in my previous chair.
I like this definition of comfort: A state of ease and satisfaction of bodily wants, with freedom from pain and anxiety. Ah yes… “freedom from pain.” That driving force behind most of our unconsciously made decisions, and one of the two things we all really want in life.
But what about the flip side? The absence of comfort can lead to more than just calluses and achy muscles. It builds character, and both inner and outer strength. You know the drill. [Cliché alert!] No pain, no gain. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
However, it’s more than that. The pursuit of a comfortable existence prevents us from experiencing the things that make life worth living. By spending all our time trying to avoid heartache, disappointment and discomfort, we miss out on the really good stuff.
Here’s an example…
After years of debating, my wife and I finally purchased a small Class B camper in 2008, a RoadTrek Adventurous. If you’re not into the RV scene, a Class B gives you best of both worlds. It offers most of the basic features and benefits you get with the bigger rigs, but it drives and can be parked like a minivan – and gets 20MPG. It’s got a turbo diesel Mercedes engine, bathroom, shower, full kitchen, HDTV, sleeps four. The ultimate road trip machine.
But we almost didn’t buy it – because of a fear of being uncomfortable:
- We knew it would be expensive to own (discomfort).
- Since two adults and two growing boys with all their stuff tend to fill up small spaces quickly, we knew we might feel a bit cramped in there (discomfort).
- And since none of us had ever gone camping before, we knew it was quite a leap. What if we couldn’t handle the extra expense, the countless hours of driving, the mosquito bites and bee stings, the hunt for available campsites, and dealing with the odd, seemingly orphaned campground children who always want to tour your vehicle as soon as you pull in? (discomfort)
If you’re not at least a little uncomfortable, it’s not really an adventure. So despite all our feared discomfort, we took the plunge anyway. And despite our actual experienced discomfort, we love our little RV, and all the adventures it has allowed us to take together. Last year alone, it enabled us to explore and camp in Florida, Virgina Beach, Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Bar Harbor, Maine.
2009… What a year. And it was all possible because we didn’t run and hide from anticipated discomfort. (OK, I admit, it also helps having an internet business I can run from the beach, campgrounds, I-95 rest stops, Walt Disney World, etc…)
Only by risking to be uncomfortable will you be able to enjoy the best of what life has to offer. Whether it’s taking a backpacking trip across Europe, starting a new business, or having a baby – the good stuff always goes hand in hand with a touch (or more) of inherent discomfort. So don’t let that stop you from doing what you want to do.
It’s not too late to make it a New Year’s resolution for 2010 to break out of your comfort zone. Because if you’re not at least a little uncomfortable, life really isn’t much of an adventure. Invite a little discomfort into your life, and watch what happens. You just might be pleasantly surprised.
“Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”
- Brian Tracy
The RoadTrek Adventurous - Our Family Adventure Mobile
