Comfort is a warning. Don’t wait for failure to change. Abandon what’s working before it fails.
Your Brain at Ease
- Stops scanning for issues.
- Stops challenging the process.
- Stops questioning methods.
- Starts protecting the past.
Comfort is unquestioned repetition.
Comfort Says
- “Stay the same.”
- “Don’t risk this.”
- “Don’t disrupt that.”
- “We already know what works.”
The world doesn’t freeze because you built a good system. Markets shift. People change. Competitors copy. Conditions move.
Familiarity breeds predictability.
Predictability invites decline.
Upgrade When
- Numbers are strong.
- Culture feels stable.
- No one is complaining.
Ease makes the pursuit of better impossible.
Making good better takes more courage than solving problems.
Note: Upgrade when you have adequate resources.
Abandoning what Works Demands…
- Humility (“This isn’t perfect.”)
- Curiosity (“What else is possible?”)
- Indifference (“I’m not my past success.”)
When you’re comfortable you’re sinking.
Choose Discomfort
Learn something that makes you clumsy again. Feeling awkward indicates growth opportunities.
Try on …
- New leadership styles.
- New industry ideas.
- New technology.
- New way of listening.
- New strategies for coaching.
If you don’t feel slightly embarrassed by your first attempt, you aren’t challenging yourself.
Where has ease made you quietly stop improving?
How might you create a little distress today?
Don’t Let Misery Make You Miserable
The Narrow Path: Why Choosing Hard Things Is Your Best Investment Forbes
