Years ago a colleague asked why I was so flexible with my schedule, often adjusting it to cover different shifts. I told him that I made the schedule work for me – so I could get things done without taking days off. Long weekends, doctors appts, babysit a nephew, etc…

At the time I thought the real reason was that I just didn’t like being predictable. Maybe it was that a level of paranoia had set in after years of being a cop, or that I was known for being and doing interesting things and this helped with that image.

Climbing Sydney Harbor Bridge

Willing to live outside my comfort zone

The truth is that on a subconscious level I knew that one of the keys to my own resilience was my willingness to be outside my comfort zone. Even if it was just switching a shift here or there. It was part of a mindset that helped me cope when I was out of my comfort zone and didn’t want to be. When you’re used to adjusting you keep doing it, it’s like a muscle.

A funny thing happened when I started to seriously think about retirement. There was a bit of chaos at the time, leaving me feeling frustrated. It helped push me towards retirement. Then things calmed down. For weeks. I started to feel comfortable again. My brain started to process the comfort as safety.

It was a cold comfort

Then one day I realized the chaos had shifted in form. It wasn’t that the chaos and frustration were gone, they were just hiding behind different masks. I thought I was comfortable, but I was really in a lull. I was floating through time, going nowhere.

And that was the problem, I was going nowhere. My thoughts of retirement slowed, along with my plans and actions. I was stuck because for a brief moment I was comfortable and that was easier than chaos or making a life change. It was just there, holding me back and offering nothing in return.

Embrace Discomfort

We spend a lot of time in search of comfort and the sense of peace it brings. When we get there it feels nice, like laying in a warm bed on a cold morning. But it never lasts long enough and it doesn’t bring progress, new adventures, new hopes, and dreams. We’re just comfortable until we’re not anymore. And then we start the search again. Because at the heart of being a human being, we want more than comfort. We want to live life, make an impact, and leave something behind for others. We just don’t want all the yucky stuff along the way.

Embrace the yucky stuff – discomfort is what makes us interesting, stronger, and more resilient.