Change Your Ways

Change your ways. 

Some people are comfortable with discomfort. It doesn't seem to slow them down or get in the way of them achieving their dreams. In fact, it's as if they expect discomfort to be part of the formula for success. 

I think we can learn a thing or two from these kinds of individuals. I've always been the type to take the easier road. I always leaned toward what I knew I could do well, and shied away from things that were more challenging. 

After reading Carol Dweck's book about mindset, I learned that having a fixed mindset really inhibited me from reaching my true potential. A growth mindset, on the other hand wasn't just about trying harder. Rather, it was the acceptance that growth requires discomfort, but that is okay. 

Mistakes, and failure along the way are just part of the learning process, and not something to be avoided. Entering any new undertaking thinking that it has to be done perfectly is just counter-productive. 

In addition, author Gretchen Rubin talks about the "fun of failure." Although, I'm not sure I could ever completely change, and think of failing as fun, being less hard on myself is a start. Changing your ways, which isn't always easy, might be a challenge, but at the same time it might allow for a happier life. 

"If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you."

Fred Devito