Okay, okay, you KNOW it’s not my style to do anything restrictive or anything quick-fix style, even if it’s only a few days. BUT, I just got home from a week-long “spiritual retreat” in Sedona, AZ, and what was on the menu (for at least 3 of the days) was … juice. And smoothies. And soup.
It was almost the reason I
turned down the opportunity when Onnit co-founder Aubrey Marcus reached out to a handful of us on the
Onnit Pro Team to shack up at his ranch and get in touch with the land and ourselves for a week of recharge.
But I’ve been chasing my discomfort zone lately, so I literally signed up the second the invite came in.
I’ll tell
you about the liquid diet in a second, but I want to share one thing that I’ve come to as of late—and has been exponentiated seeing these thousands of women in
#ActionAcademy step up and take action on things that scare them—and that is:
Uncertainty is the new comfort zone.
I used to think
there was no utility to getting out of your comfort zone. Besides, it’s comfortable, why would I ever want to leave it? And also, why would I search out uncomfortable things just because? Isn’t that ‘pessimistic?’ Life gives us enough shit to deal with as it is, right?
But that last statement is actually exactly why.
Because whether we want the tough stuff or not, life will find a way to give it to
us.
Whether that’s the loss of a loved one, a loss of a job or financial strain, a break-up or divorce, tough relationship issues with a close friend or family member, etc. None of us get out without having to deal with pain, uncertainty or discomfort, whether we want to or not.
So why not get really good at discomfort in preparation for it?
Imagine you could easily deal with anything life throws at you—doesn’t
mean it’s not painful—because you have already practiced things like trust, flexibility, self-compassion and resiliency? You don’t crumble at the slightest inconvenience and your life doesn’t end when something tragic happens.
There is a huge difference between preparing for discomfort/pain/uncertainty and expecting it. The latter is what I would consider pessimistic. The former is actually forging the strongest version of yourself through
vulnerability.
This past week, one of the moderators at the retreat told us a story about herds of Tanka (native American word for bison/buffalo) living on the plains. When the herd sees a storm coming in the distance, they don’t run in the opposite direction to avoid it and try to outrun it, instead they actually turn, face it and run towards it … so that they get through it faster.
Facing your fears head-on not only makes you
infinitely stronger emotionally, but it helps you take more action on the things you say you want.
Had I not said yes to things that (at the time) were soooo out of my comfort zone, I wouldn’t have started JillFit, I wouldn’t have ever quit my full-time job, I would never have met my best friends Neghar and Jen (who ironically invited me to a week-long yoga retreat in Sedona in 2013, I said yes with money I didn’t have!) and launched
The Radiance Retreat, I wouldn’t have ever traveled solo, I'd have never left North Carolina and moved to LA last year to pursue something new.
And I would never have had the courage to put myself online with the audacity that I could create something to help more people than I might at my local Gold’s Gym in Winston-Salem,
NC.
Whew!
I think the better you get at discomfort, the better you get. You reach new highs, create a bigger impact, and experience larger rewards.
