How Embracing Discomfort Changed My Life For The Better
I remember in 2018, a few months after settling in Miami, there was some uncertainty with my job, and we weren’t sure how long we’d be able to stay. Rosie and I agreed that if I had to leave Miami and return to the French office, I would quit. We didn’t want to go back and live there; we decided to use our (little) savings to travel and figure out our next steps.
When I told my family, my uncle called to say he thought it was a bad idea. He asked, “Why would you leave behind this job you like and throw away those years of work to venture somewhere unknown? Why seek discomfort when you can have a comfortable life here?”
That conversation hurt me at the time and damaged our relationship. I felt misunderstood and unsupported.
I ended up staying in Miami for 3 1/2 more years, until I decided to leave my job in 2021.
Recently, I watched a Yes Theory documentary about seeking discomfort, and it made me think back to that conversation.
At the time, his words made me feel stupid for wanting something different, for not settling.
But after years of personal growth, I see that seeking discomfort and new experiences has brought huge returns.
Seeking discomfort made me travel to incredible places all over the world that I would have never imagined seeing when I was younger. It made me a better person, friend, husband, and someone more adaptable and capable of sustaining myself without a traditional job.
Six years later, I’m not sure my uncle is any happier or better off than he was in 2018.
I don’t regret my decision for one minute. I will continue to seek discomfort, to grow, learn, and evolve until the day I die.