“One of the ways he fights his introversion is by forcing himself to do something uncomfortable every single day.”
Those are the words of Guy Raz as he described Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos, on the podcast How I Built This.
In listening to the podcast it is easy to pick up on Hsieh’s introversion. He speaks softly. His words are carefully measured. His cadence is slow. He recognizes his introversion can be a hindrance in his business. How does an extreme introvert become the founder of one of the largest companies in the world?
By learning to be uncomfortable. It takes courage to be uncomfortable. We live in the most comfortable country in the world. Our cars drive themselves. Fast food can now be delivered right to our door. We don’t even need to get off the couch to do our grocery shopping. We don’t like to be uncomfortable. We are a nation of softies.
But we don’t have to be! Courage requires discomfort. As Hsieh shows us we can choose to be uncomfortable. We can choose to be courageous. Practicing discomfort is a way to prepare yourself to be more courageous.
Let me tell you what discomfort looked like for Hsieh on the day he was interviewed for How I Built This. He dyed his hair red and spiked it up into a Mohawk. Now, I don’t have any hair and I’m more of an extrovert than an introvert, but if I had hair, choosing to do that would make me extremely uncomfortable.
What could discomfort look like in your world? Feel free to start small. Maybe you brush your teeth with your left hand rather than your right hand. Maybe you go to an ethnic restaurant that serves a style of food of that is not of your liking. Maybe you take a different route to work.
In order to be courageous we must accept being uncomfortable. Want to be more courageous? Become comfortable being uncomfortable!
Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? I’d love to be that guy. You can reach me at dave@cultivatecourage.com or 952-200-7499.
You can now buy the book “Cultivate Courage” on Amazon! https://amzn.to/2N2PBVJ
