Are you willing to be uncomfortable?

May 28

Written By Molly

Hi Friends,

There is a phrase I’ve been thinking about a lot lately:

Growth rarely feels good while it’s happening.

Maybe it is just me, but it seems that many of us think that when we’re on the right path, we’ll feel confident, certain, and comfortable. However, in my experience, the opposite is usually true.

Growth asks us to do things we’ve never done before. It asks us to risk failure. To have conversations we don’t know how to have. To make decisions without having every answer. To trust that we can figure things out one step at a time.

All of these things are uncomfortable.

I’ve come to believe that our willingness to be uncomfortable is requisite to creating a life we love. And, ironically, it is necessary to avoid the discomfort of regret.

I want to share something more personal this week - lately, I’ve been practicing discomfort in a few new ways, each of which has challenged me.

But first, I want to explain why I would do that. Simply put, I value growth more than I value comfort. Next year, I don’t want to ask myself what if I had tried this or that. At the end of my life, I don’t want to look back and say that I chose comfort over some of goals I am driving towards.

Now - what am I trying out? You might be surprised:

The first uncomfortable step is learning to prioritize recovery over productivity. I want to be a super-powered recoverer so that I live life from a full tank.

For much of my life, my identity was built around working hard, pushing through, saying yes, and doing more. More workouts. More work. More showing up. More achieving.

Rest has felt unfamiliar.

But I’m learning that recovery isn’t laziness. It’s wisdom. And it enables me to pour more into everything I do.

I’m learning to sit in the sun just because. To sleep a little later when I need to rest. To eat a little bit more so that my body can recover from the work I put in. To believe that restoration isn’t taking me away from my purpose—it is preparing me for it.

Another area I’m practicing is allowing the people I love to have difficult emotions.

If someone is frustrated or disappointed with me, my instinct has always been to fix it immediately. To make everything okay.

But I’m learning that love doesn’t require rescuing everyone from uncomfortable feelings.

Sometimes people need space to process. Sometimes relationships become stronger because we’re willing to stay present without trying to control the outcome.

I’m learning that I can (and should) allow others to have hard feelings and that it is not my job to take them away. Further, I am learning that hard feelings don’t mean I am a bad friend, Mom or wife. Multiple things can be true at once. Hard feelings, making mistakes and still being a decent, loving human.

And finally, I’m practicing confidence.

Not the loud kind.

Not the kind that needs to prove anything.

The quiet confidence that says, I have value. I belong here. My voice matters.

For years I confused confidence with arrogance. I worried that taking up space somehow meant taking something away from someone else.

I’m discovering that’s simply not true.

Confident people don’t diminish others—they make room for others to shine alongside them.

When we value ourselves, we’re better able to love generously, lead courageously, and show up fully for the people around us.

So this week, I want to leave you with a simple question:

Where is discomfort inviting you to grow?

Whatever it is, don’t assume discomfort means you’re going the wrong direction.

Sometimes it’s the clearest sign that you’re becoming the person you were meant to be.