How To Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable as an Entrepreneur

Oct 16, by Tanya Alvarez

Imagine this: You’re building a business.

Your schedule? JAM packed.

It’s Wednesday. Oh look, you have your weekly group call, where you navigate challenges and uncover blind spots in your business.

You start to get nervous. You’re trembling. You can’t help it.

It’s not even because of the actual call. That part’s only an hour. And it’s with people you like. People who know you and what you’re trying to build.

No. You’re nervous about what happens if you’re late…

The rules are simple. They’re there to hold everybody accountable. If you’re late, you SING. In front of the whole group.

The idea of singing in front of others really bothers you. So much so that you’re never even late to begin with. In fact, most weeks you make a habit out of being ten minutes early…

“But what if today’s the day?”

It’s not, but even if it was, would it really be that bad?

No. You just have a problem with the idea because it makes you feel uncomfortable, and uncomfortable is bad. Always.

Right?

How (Un)Comfortability Leads to Growth

Singing in front of the entire group when late is an actual rule we enforce in group meetings at Owners^UP.

Why? Because it helps members form good habits. And, it helps them push their comfort zones.

Accountability is good. Teamwork is good. Rules can even be good, too. But being too comfortable in your business? That is always bad.

People often set goals that they’re comfortable with.

One of our members, Dan, runs an architectural imaging company. His comfort lies in design. Making things look really nice. The problem: Before joining Owners^UP, things like sales, cold-calling, and prospecting were never on his goal list.

That was before.

Now, those things are always on his goal list, and the difference is he’s actually getting sales. He’s being held accountable. Or, he’ll sing songs.

Like I said, most people set comfortable goals. It’s like thinking you need to make a business card or build out a full website before launching your business. You don’t. Just start selling. Build the rest as you go.

Another good example of pushing your comfort zone is the 20-day YouTube Challenge we did with our Owners^UP members. Everybody in the group agreed to post a video each weekday for a month. It was easier for some than others, but the idea was that, collectively, everybody would move forward.

If it weren’t for the “challenge” aspect, we all know what would happen. It’d be a game of ‘someday, one day’ and people would find every excuse in the book to not post a video. The other thing that would happen is people would settle into perfection mode. They’d obsess over the tiny details.

Those things just don’t matter. Growth does.

Don’t get lost in the busy work. Set up (or join) calls like these, prioritize them, and move your company forward.

The Next Step: Taking Action

For some people, they hear and absorb the advice they get in these groups, get uncomfortable from time to time, then do nothing.

The first step is accountability. The next is action.

Once you’re uncomfortable, ask yourself: what are those bigger goals, bigger risks, or bigger things you’re willing to do on a daily basis? How is what you’re currently doing impacting your business? Consider (and do) those things to move your business forward.

Then, getting uncomfortable becomes a habit.

Take Juliana for example. For her, getting uncomfortable meant posting a video of herself. She actively avoided it. Then, her group told her why she’d be great. She gained a bit of confidence, and everybody suddenly got excited for an update on her next call.

Then, she acted. She posted a video. She got out from behind her initial fear. Now, she routinely holds chats over Facebook Live.

Take action. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Then, keep going. If you start to plateau, you’ll start to fall back into your comfort zone. And you won’t even realize it’s happening.

You always need somebody to push you.

Once you push your comfort in one area, you can do it in other areas. Mastered sales? Move onto marketing. It’s as simple as that.

Create the habit of becoming uncomfortable. Your comfort zone will expand. Your business will grow.

My Challenge to You

Once you recognize and come to grips with the fact that you’re deep in your comfort zone, it’s time to take the necessary measures to escape it.

Here is what I challenge you to do:

Find a group of people to form your team. Together, you’ll help one another push yourselves outside of each and every comfort zone.{: .present-before-paste}
Create a challenge within the group. Similar to the 20-day YouTube Challenge, put a list of rules together and stick to them.{: .present-before-paste}
Keep each other accountable. This could mean everything from holding weekly check-ins to built-in consequences for those who don’t act. Do what needs to be done.{: .present-before-paste}

If you can do the things listed above and challenge yourselves as a team, everyone in your group will grow.