Limitless Monday: Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

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Limitless Monday – Get comfortable being uncomfortable

My clothes were disheveled and soaked in sweat. While my legs decided whether or not my body deserved to be supported, I listened to the wise words of our jiu-jitsu instructor, Professor Tommy, as he concluded the class. “jiu-jitsu is all about getting comfortable being uncomfortable”. Those words immediately re-booted my mind. I had my next Limitless Monday article!

This phrase, I have discovered, is often used in jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts circles. However, it can equally be applied to life.

Contact sports are a great way to put yourself in a position of discomfort. That’s because your opponent is often either bigger, faster, stronger, heavier or more skilled, and they use those advantages to defeat you.

However, before the end arrives they often put you in a compromising position before submitting you. That position is often uncomfortable, possibly painful. For example your opponent may crush your chest with his full weight as you lie on your back breathless, alternatively he may decide you deserve his knee drilled into your solar plexus as you squirm around on the floor trying to dislodge his knee and the 220 lbs of his weight to relieve the agony. The discomfort is a sign that something worse is imminent, a choke, an arm bar, or a leg lock.

Feeling comfortable with discomfort is the key to making rational decisions under pressure. This philosophy applies equally to martial arts and life.

By remaining calm and composed, you can avoid panic and make intelligent decisions, a quality shared by the most successful individuals. In fact, the more successful amongst us thrive when their opponents are struggling. They crave discomfort like an adrenaline junkie craves his next skydive.

In reality, many people struggle to put this wise advice into practice. This is evident in the challenging environment of a jiu-jitsu class, where students face tests of their resolve multiple times during each 90 minute session. Despite their initial enthusiasm, 50-70% of new students typically drop out within just 3 to 6 months, highlighting the difficulty of translating wisdom into action.

The majority of us can’t handle being uncomfortable, so we avoid challenging experiences such as learning new skills, changing jobs, moving homes, ending bad relationships, and exercising. We prefer to be in control of our environment.

If we are to progress in life and be the best versions of ourselves, we must become accustomed to being uncomfortable. By avoiding discomfort, we are stifling our growth.

Today, ask yourself, what do you want your future to look like? Will avoiding certain routes, endeavors, or goals prevent you from being the person you know deep down you deserve to be? You and I already know the answer to that question! Today, make yourself really uncomfortable. And don’t quit. Repeat that tomorrow and every day you are still breathing.

Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Don’t forget those words my friend.

Happy Monday!

Banner Image: Uncomfortable. Image Credit – Yuris Alhumaydy


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Harry Maximillian

Harry is an author, coach, entrepreneur, comedian and a convicted felon. Harry was sent to prison for a financial crime where he spent five long years. Prison allowed Harry to realize the error of his ways. He decided to use his time productively and mobilize his extraordinary determination, dedication, drive, motivation and desire to focus on writing and the art of self-improvement. Before Harry’s enforced vacation he was one of the most prolific deal makers in the City of London.

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