One should be comfortable in being uncomfortable.
This is the mindset some motivational videos on YouTube want to leave their viewers. Sounds ironic, right?
Why would someone aspire to be in uncomfortable situations? Being in a state of comfort is easy and desirable.
Successful individuals are acclimated to be uncomfortable. It is different from sitting on an uncomfortable chair. They are comfortable in dealing with uncomfortable situations which bring out learnings & character. When we speak of the idea of being uncomfortable, it doesn't mean that one should be seating on a chair made of thorns. Being uncomfortable is those situations that bring outcomes (e.g. overcoming your fear of speaking in public).
As Customer Experience (CX) Consultants/Engineers deploy a new CX platform. The objective is to deploy/migrate the client to the new CX platform as smoothly as possible. There are discussions within the deployment that could be uncomfortable to deal with; especially in understanding the client's business process.
The 'comfortable' way is to provide a solution that can answer a small percentage of the customer's pain points because the consultant avoided digging deeper into understanding the client's process. However, if one subjects themselves to discussions that are 'uncomfortable' to understand the client's business process, a high-touch solution could check all the boxes and greatly impact the client's productivity ten-fold.
Getting out of your comfort zone is easier said than done. Here are some points to ponder whenever you are trying to get out of that comfort zone.
Start. Take the risk.
Getting started is difficult and always the most uncomfortable part. I always say the perfect time does not exist. The perfect time is now. It’s also important to set your intention early on. Find your why and write it down. This way if you get stuck, you can remind yourself about why you made this commitment in the first place.
Push yourself past your
comfort zone.
At some point, you are going to say to yourself, "I've never done this before" or "I don't know what I'm doing." We've all been there. Here's a trick: Don't say it out loud. Just pretend to be confident. Fake it till you make it. It's scary, but I promise you this: When it's over, you are going to say, "It wasn't as bad as I thought it was." Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.
Build a network
Create a support network. Talk about your experiences. The worse the experience it is to you, the better the story it is to everyone else. Soon, you will be seeking uncomfortable experiences to share with your friends. Be a good storyteller.
Embrace failure.
You have to be willing to fail to succeed. Take the example of learning how to ride a bike. It takes many times of falling and getting hurt repeatedly. But once you got it, you felt exhilarated. You would never have learned how to ride if you gave up the first time you fell. The same applies to other aspects of life. You must see the value in failure and get comfortable with the process to succeed.
Repetition is the key
There's an old Russian saying “Povtorenie Mat Ucheniya”, which means "Repetition is the Mother of Learning." The more you perform the same activity, the more confident you become. Confidence is a tangible thing--it comes from practice and repetition.