Michael Port, a marketing mentor of mine, mentions the practice of “getting comfortable with discomfort” in his “Book Yourself Solid” class. If you Google the phrase, you’ll see he’s not the only one to mention this concept. The phrase can have many applications from anxiety disorders to singing karaoke. But the use I want to discuss is towards inner growth.
In today’s society, we shield ourselves and our children so much, that riding out any kind of discomfort or physical pain is thought of as unbearable. We’ve forgotten how to “toughen up” inside and out.
A few months ago, I had to face one of the ultimate discomforts of dealing with aging parents as my Father neared death. He fortunately defied the odds, left the hospital and just celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday. But time stopped in those gut wrenching weeks and you would think I’d come out of it with better understanding of the fragility of our time in this life. I did at first, but not enough to move me to more effective action in my own life.
In my plan to market my services to local businesses on my neighborhood Facebook page, I created a three part video series on the necessity of video as a marketing tool, why to use a professional, then why hire me. I worked diligently on parts one and two, then part three grinded to a halt. I had the script laid out, gathered sound clips of clients speaking about me, then froze on what I would say about myself on camera. That is my discomfort. I always fear sounding arrogant or insincere. Echoes of a situation I discussed in an earlier blog when I didn’t join a film crew after listening to the negative voice in my head ask, “Who do you think you are?”
In the last three weeks, I attended three funerals, as if constant reminders of what I dealt with in August. I’m not saying you need death to be the catalyst for change, but it is necessary to remind ourselves our time is limited and none of us will get out of this world alive. If you want to do something, go out and do it! Tony Robbins calls it “taking massive action.” Growth can’t happen in a vacuum or in limiting beliefs. You need to stretch out into unfamiliar ground. The more you deal with discomfort, the easier it will get to challenge yourself.
When I first started producing videos and not just act as “editor,” it was very uncomfortable to not have a person to go to because I was the “go to” person. But deep down, I knew I had the skills, experience and talent to do it and what I didn’t know I would have to learn. Learning is an ongoing process. Now, I’m comfortable with producing.
In the next few days I’ll go before the camera and promote myself and I will take my friend’s suggestion of mentioning I received many awards for my work. Taking from Michael Port again, “You need to decide how you’re known in the world.” If no one knows who I am and why I’m the person they should hire, I’ll never get any new work. If you don’t get comfortable with discomfort, you’ll always wonder, what if and never be fulfilled.
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