"The reason you feel the discomfort is because your brain is trying to protect you and keep you safe." - Kelly Petty

Do you like to feel uncomfortable? I don’t mean physically, in the sense that, say, your shoes are rubbing against your feet and causing blisters, or you slept awkwardly and now you have a crick in your neck...not that kind of uncomfortable. I’m talking about the kind of discomfort that comes with trying something new, or for the first time. The kind of discomfort that makes you want to stop the craziness of trying out the unknown and retreat right back to what it is you know and are comfortable with. That kind of uncomfortable. I’m guessing the answer is no, you don’t like to feel that kind of discomfort – or any type of discomfort come to think of it.

But what if I told you that the feeling of discomfort is a good thing, and is an indicator that you’re being offered an opportunity to grow and learn and develop, and to expand the outer-limits of what you know, of how you think of and see yourself, of what you are capable of, and of what you think is possible for you.

These are all things that are happening behind the scenes when you allow yourself to lean into the feeling of discomfort that comes with trying or doing something new.

The reason you feel the discomfort is because your brain is trying to protect you and keep you safe. Even if it’s something you want to do but you have never tried before, your brain will want you not to do it because it doesn’t know what’s on the other side of that decision. It will try and convince you of all the reasons why it’s a bad idea, in the hopes you will decide against it.

For example, let’s say you decide to do a sky-dive. Imagine all the thoughts your brain will be having right before you and your instructor jump out of the plane. It’ll likely be having one almighty hissy-fit telling you all the reasons why you definitely should not jump...Despite the fact it’s something you want to do! Your brain is actually working against you; it’s working to achieve a result that is the direct opposite of the result you actually want to realise in your life.

And so the discomfort you feel is your brain trying to keep you in what is familiar and what it knows. And if successful you won’t jump out of the plane. If your brain always “wins”, then you will only ever be “allowed” to engage in activities that it already knows the outcome of (i.e. the safe bet, the known experiences).

But there is little-to-no growth in the familiar.

Unless you are smarter than your brain that is. You need to be onto yourself, giving yourself little pep-talks to counter the arguments your brain is presenting as to why something could end up being a disaster and why you shouldn’t ever think about it ever, ever again for as long as you live.

By leading and managing your brain and your thoughts, you’re paving the way for so many more new experiences to flow into, and be a part of your life and your story.

Yes you may and probably will still feel the discomfort when you’re about to jump out of the plane, but the key is to not think that that’s a sign or a reason to not do it. If anything, it’s the compete opposite; if you’re feeling uncomfortable it means you’re about to embark on a new experience. And on the other side of a new experience is exposure to new things, new ideas and new teachings. There is the ability to add more colour and depth to the stories you can tell and the fabric that makes up your life and which make you the wonderful woman you are. The new experiences can give you different perspectives on thoughts you have had for as long as you can remember.

Instead of listening to your brain’s scaremongering, soothe its worries with thoughts of how exhilarating it will be to feel yourself falling, weightless through the sky, how incredible the views will be as you glide and fly down, safe in the knowledge that you are expanding how you see yourself – you are now a woman who jumps out of planes! How’s that for a shot of confidence when you next find yourself thinking that something is too difficult, or too large and scary a project for you to tackle?!?

And slowly, one thought at a time you can calm your brain down to the point where the discomfort is at a level you are not overwhelmed by, and you get to experience the thrill of the sky-dive.

So next time you experience feelings of discomfort when you’re about to do something, before you write it off as a bad idea, just explore the thoughts your brain is offering you as to why it’s a bad idea and why you shouldn’t do it. And what counter-arguments can you make to manage the discomfort?

Just doing that may open so many doors that you previously thought were locked shut forever.