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I try to do several things differently in 2025. years.
Specifically, moving towards moments or things that make me uncomfortable.
(I don’t mean “times when I’m in physical danger,” of course.)
But better said, I will run toward Things my brain tells me: “This is uncomfortable, I don’t like that, avoid it at all costs.”
The e-mail I’m afraid to open. Talking I’m afraid I am. The question is afraid to ask. The ability to be alone with my thoughts (IIKES).
When I come for my phone or Netflix or PlayStation controller not to be bored or unpleasant or sad or blame …
I’m trying to make some discipline to pause first.
Not to avoid, distract or have fun from what is really happening.
Not to go out or not escape, Monti-Python Style.
If I have the courage to sit there and I really ask a question, “Why does this make me uncomfortable?” There are valuable lessons to be learned.
Lean against discomfort
The author of Pema Chodron reveals the following in his book When things fall apart:
“Uneasiness in any form we consider bad news.
… feelings like disappointment, shame, irritation, indignation, anger, jealousy and fear.
Instead of being bad news, they are actually very clear moments who teach us where we stay. “
These things can be amazing teachers if we give yourself space to learn.
But that is quite asked in 2025:
Thanks to the internet and our phones and the same delivery, we can spend every minute of every day, hiding from almost every unpleasant feeling in our life. We never have to be bored, we never have to feel “bad”, we never have to deal with the elephant in the room.
We can only translate, click, tap to touch or imagine to avoid any “bad” feelings.
We can hide from them without endless entertainment and comfort (even if we prevent us from getting what we really want).
Of course, these bad feelings do not disappear – they are still there the things we avoid in the end will eventually need to deal with them.
When I try to hide from discomfort, I know I’m not really avoiding it. I don’t hold it in the box.
I am Trapped in Pandor’s box with monsters.
Blaise Pascal, philosopher of 17. century, said the best:
“All the problems of mankind stem from man’s inability to sit still in the room alone.”
These feelings try to teach us!
Many feelings of discomfort are screaming to teach us something if we can solve how we feel about them.
How Chodron expires:
“They’re like a messenger that show us, with a terrifying clarity, Exactly where we are stuck.
This moment is the perfect teacher, and, happy for us, it’s with us wherever we are. “
Life has a way to do it calm, unpleasant feeling Call louder and louder until we can help, but we don’t solve it …
But we can preserve a lot of time if we recognize fear, change before and recognize life trying to teach us something.
It’s my challenge for you this week.
What if …
We asked, “Am I indeed Hungry, or just soothing food? “
We admitted that we were scared or anxious or nervous, then asked (with sympathetic curiosity) What was behind the feeling?
Life tries to learn the lessons every day.
We only have to be brave enough to be uncomfortable to see him.
-Steve
