Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

I had a conversation with my daughter the other day, and she told me that dealing with grumpy older people in her role was so inside her comfort zone because she'd had plenty of practice with me while she was growing up. So, it didn't faze her at all. I tried to claim the glory of an astute parenting style, but that was swiftly knocked back!

You've got to love Gen Z!

Now, this doesn't condone my slightly worn, angry-looking poker face - I call it my resting face. And being Glaswegian, we all can have that look! We can't control others, their resting face, or how they respond to events, words, or actions. What we can control is how we react to them. And that, my friends, is within your control.

So, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable does mean stepping out of your comfort zone.

We often hear the phrase "step outside your comfort zone," but what does that really mean? More importantly, why does it feel so difficult? The truth is, discomfort isn't just about the unknown - it's about how our minds interpret and react to it. Habitual unconscious facial expressions, tones of voice, and even past experiences can all contribute to discomfort. The way we think about challenges directly shapes our emotional response, often before anything even happens.

Once we experience an event, we can begin to get more comfortable with it, and we don't have to go through the same level of pain each time.

We believe that growth is not just about doing more - it's about thinking differently. The emotions we feel about a new or uncomfortable situation aren't necessarily a direct response to the event but rather a reflection of our past experiences, beliefs, and conditioned responses.

Our brains are wired to predict outcomes based on what we already know. That's why stepping into the unfamiliar often triggers resistance - it's not just fear of the unknown but also fear of reliving past difficulties.

How Your Thinking Shapes Your Experience

The mind is a powerful storyteller. It takes fragments of past experiences, stitches them with emotions, and projects them onto the future - often before reality unfolds. This is why two people can approach the same challenge with entirely different reactions: one might see an opportunity, while the other perceives a threat.

In leadership, this plays out in how we manage change, decision-making, and resilience. A leader who has faced rejection in the past might hesitate to put forward bold ideas, not because they lack vision, but because their mind has already constructed an emotional blueprint of failure. Conversely, a leader who has reframed past setbacks as learning moments might step into uncertainty with curiosity rather than fear.

The Discomfort of Growth

True growth happens in moments of discomfort. The key isn't to avoid discomfort but to understand that discomfort is simply a signal - it means you're stretching beyond familiar patterns. What if we could see these moments not as barriers but as invitations?

The way forward is not about silencing emotions but about recognising them for what they are: echoes of the past, not predictions of the future. By becoming aware of these mental constructs, we can start to rewrite them, shifting our responses from avoidance to action.

Reframing Your Comfort Zone

At MiM, we help leaders, teams, and organisations develop the self-awareness to challenge their own thinking patterns. Instead of seeing discomfort as a red flag, we encourage a mindset shift:

• What if this challenge is an opportunity?
• What if my assumptions about this situation aren't the whole story?
• What if I trusted my ability to navigate uncertainty, even when I don't have all the answers?

This isn't just about individual development - it's about building a culture where growth is embedded in how we think and operate. When organisations normalise the discomfort of change, they empower people to take ownership of their learning and performance.

The Business Benefits

For Senior Leaders and those of us in HR and People & Culture roles, creating a workplace where colleagues are ok with 'Getting comfortable with being Uncomfortable' is a culture worth having. It ultimately reduces discomfort over time, further boosting team engagement and resilience. There is a balance and getting that balance right is key - an organisation that constantly operates outside its comfort zone, in survival terms, without reprieve becomes frazzled, leading to costly mistakes and burnout.

From the CFO's perspective, productivity should increase as people move away from repetitive, inefficient cycles of hesitation, resistance and uncertainty. When individuals feel psychologically safe to navigate change, they become more efficient and engaged. While this might not instantly bring you personal joy, it will certainly make the bottom- line sing!

Your Mindset, Your Growth

Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable isn't about eliminating fear - it's about changing your relationship with it. If you find yourself hesitating before a big decision or feeling resistance toward a new challenge, pause and ask yourself:

• Is this discomfort coming from a real risk or from a past experience trying to predict the future?
• What's the best possible outcome if I embrace this challenge?

The more we lean into these questions, the more we rewire our thinking. When we change how we think, we change what we do and we get different outcomes.

At MiM, we don't just talk about growth - we facilitate the mindset shifts that make it possible.

Whether through leadership coaching, cultural transformation, or our MiM PxP platform, we help businesses and leaders move from reactive to proactive, from fear-driven to growth and future-focused.

So, take a breath the next time you feel that familiar discomfort creeping in. You're not in danger - you're in growth, possible transformation. And that's exactly where you're meant to be.

Stephen McCann