Once a year, I head out with friends for what is unquestionably the most uncomfortable night for me. In most dark places, I can usally see a little outside of the immediate area. However, Union Pizza and Space are very dark and thus I can see very little outside of the lit stage. Even with all of those challenges, I still make trip to be with friends to hear great music and hang around for the meet & greet.
While this is an extremely uncomfortable evening for me, I’ve become comfortable with being uncomfortable. I know that everything will go well. Plus the upsides of the evening – especially having a few minutes with Tim, who is not only an amazing guitar player, but a genuine and extremely kind man – make it a bit easier.
Being able to be comfortable being uncomfortable has helped in the triathlon side as well. There have been MANY times on training sessions, and even in races, that I’ve been uncomfortable. Whether it’s been a new drill (especially the bilateral breathing ones), pushing further (i.e. going from 4/1 to half mile/1 in run training), or even things not going right in a race (ITU swim – waves / tether breaking), I’ve pushed through the discomfort. I know it’s temporary, that things will get easier in the future, and that there’s a long-term upside.
On a related topic, it’s always been uncomfortable to ask for help needed because of the vision issues. Even though it’s not easy, I’ve gotten comfortable with that as well. And as you look through the posts since the start, you can see the dividends that that’s paid.
The bottom line is that we all have baggage and issues, which can make us feel uncomfortable with things. But you can’t let that discomfort stop you from living life — you’ll miss out on too much if you do!