“I think the best and most fulfilling moments in my life were when I was completely uncomfortable. I grew, I rose, and I blossomed. Each place of discomfort birthed me into greatness.” – Unknown
Do you find it hard to get out of your comfort zone? You’re not alone.
The word uncomfortable used to be like nails on a chalkboard to me. My soul would literally cringe. I would shake like I had just eaten something bad. I would screech.
I have to be comfortable before I go to sleep, comfortable when I eat, comfortable with someone doing my eyebrows, and when I let someone else drive my car. I can go on and on about the benefits and amazing things that come with being comfortable, but it’s the “uncomfortable” that gets us places.
No Grit, No Pearl…What Does It Mean?
When I first heard the saying “no grit, no pearl”, it automatically clicked and synced with my life. I’ve been put in a place where everything I do right now requires my cooperation, rather than my comprehension. By this I mean that whatever God is doing in my life and requiring me to do, I really don’t have time to sit and try to figure out why. I just have to listen.
Being outside of your comfort zone can be extremely uncomfortable and irritating. Just like a clam when grit gets inside, there is aggravation and displeasure taking place. It’s rough, there are no smooth patches, and you may feel confined and stuck. There is no place for you to go but THROUGH.
With the pressure of my final year in college and job stress, some days I feel like I have to work overtime to keep my joy and hold my peace. I’ve had to stop doing certain things and separate myself from certain people. This was especially frustrating because I had to let go of a relationship I cherished and deeply loved.
Sometimes I almost talk myself back into that familiar place of comfort. There are even times I may tip-toe around it, dip in and dip out, but it stops there.
You see, I know now that growth is often disguised as an unfamiliar, unpleasant habitation. I know that just as grit creates a pearl, a bud blossoms into a rose, and coal is pressed into a diamond, my discomfort is me being birthed into greatness.
Stepping Outside Of Your Comfort Zone
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. So if you’re feeling uncomfortable right now, know that the change taking place in your life is a beginning, not an ending”- Neale Donald Walsch
We can be assured that we will not be in this place of discomfort forever, though it may feel like it. In this discomfort, you have so much to look forward to and so much to gain. Things are going to happen that wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t go through this. Lives are going be changed. Hearts are going to be touched.
Though I’m still here in this zone, I have found delight in my discomfort. I’ve found freedom and focus in my frustration. I rejoice instead of rejecting and retracting. In other words, I’ve found comfort in my uncomfortable state.
When you remember everything that you want to accomplish in life, there comes realization and reason. In wanting to accomplish things, you automatically will yourself out of your comfort zones and into the growth process.
Whenever it is time for you to elevate, there is a process. Your present state can’t handle the next level unless you are prepared for it.
Embrace It
In this time of discomfort, I’m learning to trust, lean, and LOVE on God so much more. God is mindful of you and I (Psalm 8:4), and He knows EXACTLY what we need (Philippians 4:19) BEFORE WE EVEN ASK! He loves us like crazy and he won’t put more on us than we can handle (1 Corin. 10:13).
“I had to ‘grow through’ to water other seeds.”
You will be overwhelmed with joy that you made it through. There will be new opportunities. Great and wonderful things are waiting for you at the end, so run your race, paced, and with grace. Most of all, don’t forget to help those in need of your wisdom and encouragement.
You did not “grow through” just for you.
Tips to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
“Despite how hard things may get and regardless of how uncomfortable I may feel, quitting isn’t an option. If my heart is in it, I’m not giving up” – Alex Elle
Here are a few survival tips I’ve used to help me through my discomfort:
Tip #1 Pray and Read
Especially when it’s hardest to pray. Whenever I read, whether it’s the bible or motivational books, I always find something that helps me. You will find yourself stronger, peaceful, joyful, hopeful, determined, and resilient.
Tip #2 Surround Yourself with Motivators
These are your friends, confidants, or accountability partners who will keep you encouraged and motivate you along the way. They will also to be sensitive to your process so they will not provoke you or entice you to do wrong things.
Tip #3 Remember Your Dreams and Goals That You Want to Achieve
Remember nothing comes easy. You have to stay dedicated and determined. This really helps me. I realize my influence on young women and I dream to help women across the world so I tell myself, “I have to get through this because someone needs me to.”