Purposeful discomfort

One of the things that separates those who “do big things” from those who just cruise life on autopilot is the level of discomfort to which each is regularly exposed.

The best things happen at the exit ramp of your comfort zone.
-Karen Salmansohn

On the two projects with which I have been involved this year, the most intense periods of personal growth have come during the times in which I regularly engaged in behaviors that pushed me away from what I was naturally inclined to do.

Examples: giving visibility to my inefficiencies, making public (internal to the project(s)) my areas for improvement, insisting on public accountability, setting my own goals, and not relying on guidance or oversight for my next moves.

It’s an unnatural, uncomfortable, and fitful adventure, and the payoff is so massively rewarding that I can’t imagine doing things any other way.

Willie Jackson is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Consultant & Facilitator with ReadySet, a boutique consulting firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a frequent writer and speaker on the topics of workplace equity, global diversity, and inclusive leadership. Connect on LinkedIn or get in touch.

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