Episode 699 - Success Isn't Comfortable

In this episode of Monday Morning Mojo, Phil reflects on a conversation with recent college graduates and the powerful lesson he shared: growth doesn’t happen in comfort zones. Whether it’s training for a marathon or asking for a new opportunity, Phil reminds us that discomfort is often the price of progress. Through personal stories, Phil illustrates how the simple act of asking can shift the trajectory of your life.

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Transcript 

Top performers in every field surround themselves with those who inspire them, who seek to build them up, and who push them to reach beyond their current limits. I am Phil Buchanan, executive chairman of Cannon Financial Institute. I designed Monday Morning Mojo to provide you with a weekly spark, a push and motivational insight to live your best life.

Thanks for joining. Good Monday morning. It is Phil here with episode 699 of Monday Morning Mojo. This morning as I record this, it's 4:41 AM. I share that with you simply because it's the time of day that many of us are fast asleep. For me, this is not a normal time to record, but due to other considerations, it was the best time available.

I. Do I like getting up super early to do business activities, no more than the next person, but sometimes we're required to get outside our comfort zone, and that's the conversation for today. I was recently asked to speak with some college graduates as they began their professional journey. This calls me to think back on the advice that I've received over the years, particularly as a young graduate and the advice or insight I wished I had received.

Now, Mr. Webster defines advice as guidance or recommendation offered with regard to prudent future action. Now in reading that statement, I honed in on the word prudent, so I went back to Mr. Webster and he defines prudent as acting with or showing care and thought for the future. Well, you know, advice and, and prudent is always viewed in the eye of the beholder.

Now most folks tend to be a bit more risk averse than risk on with regard to the future. Most seek to limit downside exposure. Thus, most prudent advice focuses on linear progressions rather than transformational progressions. I. Now since humankind left the Serengeti, we have understood that we are safer in impacts or groups than we are alone.

And this shows up in almost all aspects of society, from family units, to companies, to clubs, to churches. We all seek a place and sense of alignment or belonging. It provides again that that sense of security and comfort. Now comfort can be, and I believe is a huge conundrum. Going back to Mr. Webster, he says, comfort is a physical ease and freedom from pain or the easing thereof.

However, constantly seeking comfort, I believe, limits our growth potential. Years ago, I got challenged to run a marathon. To the point of that challenge, my long distance running success was limited to a 5K to run a marathon. It requires a mental commitment, a physical commitment, and a willingness to be tremendously uncomfortable both in the training process and in the marathon itself.

Now, I will admit to you, I broke absolutely no records in running either of my two marathons, and I was very, very uncomfortable in doing both. But what I gained in those processes was immeasurable. The process itself of training and completing a marathon instilled a level of both humility and confidence that still remained with me years after those endeavors.

Succeeding in almost any endeavor requires getting well beyond any perceived comfort zones one may possess. If you wish to lose weight, well, you're going to be uncomfortable. If you wish to start your own business, I promise you, you'll be uncomfortable. If you wish to advance your education, there are gonna be times that you are going to be uncomfortable.

Yet it is in these experiences that your capacity for growth expands. If you truly desire success, you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. That's the cost of admission. So my talk to the graduates was very simple. I asked the question, what scares you? Is it a fear of heights? Is it a fear of public speaking?

Is it a fear of flying? Because I believe any fear we have can be overcome. We simply have to create a plan for developing our skill sets and then take the uncomfortable step of attacking and overcoming those fears. Too many of us limit our personal and professional trajectories because we fall into patterns of comfort and we don't push our boundaries.

After my talk, I was chatting with a small group and one of the individuals in that group asked about pursuing an opportunity for what. She was really interested. I asked her if she had taken strong actions and asked for the opportunity. She gave me feedback and said she, she hadn't, as she felt that the answer would be no.

I smiled and quickly responded. Well, I. The answer's already? No. She asked for clarification and I went on and said, well, since you haven't pursued it, since you haven't asked for the opportunity, the answer to you being in that role is no. Now, if you choose to pursue it, if you do ask for the opportunity, the answer may come back still as a no.

But then you can gain the insight as to what would be necessary to turn the no into a yes. See, the risky step is not to ask for the opportunity. The risky step is to not ask for the opportunity because that guarantees tease. You won't be able to turn that no into a yes. Her limitation was in her mind, it wasn't based in any reality.

She was mentally more comfortable in not asking for the opportunity and being told no. But what she didn't realize is you can't get beyond no, but you can turn a no into a maybe or even a yes. I understand that. Asking for opportunities. Pursuing opportunities can be uncomfortable, but it is recognizing that the riskiest step is to never pursue it.

That young lady called me yesterday to tell me that she had made the ask. She told me that the answer she got back actually floored her. She was asked to submit a proposal. Now what will come of her proposal? Well, only time will tell. But regardless of this short-term outcome, she has already taken a huge step forward towards long-term success because she got a little bit more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

How about you? What's something you fear or something you've been thinking of pursuing? I challenge you to make a plan and get uncomfortable and go for it. You may not immediately turn the no into a yes, but you'll begin that progression through the maybes to the yeses, to enhancing your capacity to grow long term.

At the end of the day, it's that growth that makes the journey worthwhile. Monday morning Mojo is production of Cannon Financial Institute, executive producer of Monday Morning. Mojo is Sarah Jones. Editing and mixing is done by Danny Brunner. Until next time, I'm Phil Buchanan reminding you to be a force for good.

Have a great week. Thanks for being part of the Mojo community.