Get comfortable being uncomfortable

Every time I speak, I run an activity where people put on a pair of goggles that simulate my vision and try to do something simple, like catch a ball.

People laugh at first.

Then they miss.

Then they rush.

Within a minute, almost everyone wants those goggles off.

I get it.

They're uncomfortable.

Your brain can't read the room the way it normally does, and everything in you wants to get back to seeing clearly as fast as possible.

I Don't Get to Take the Goggles Off

But here's the part I always point out to the room.

I don't get to take the goggles off.

This is my normal.

And it stopped being something I fear a long time ago, not because it got easier, but because I've spent years doing daily life inside it.

That's how confidence actually gets built.

Most people are waiting to feel confident before they do the thing that scares them.

That day doesn't come.

Confidence is what shows up after you've done the uncomfortable thing enough times to know it's not the end of the world.

Fear works the same way.

We treat discomfort like it's danger, so we avoid it, and the avoidance makes the fear bigger.

But when you lean into the uncomfortable thing on purpose, you usually find out the situation isn't as bad as the story you built around it.

The anticipation was the worst part.

I lived that on a football field.

A long snapper only gets noticed when something goes wrong, and early on every snap felt like a test I could fail in front of everyone.

The nerves didn't go away because I waited.

They went away because I kept snapping.

Do One Rep

So this week, pick the thing you've been avoiding because it feels uncomfortable.

Have the conversation.

Make the call.

Raise your hand.

Do one rep of it while it still feels bad.

Then do another one.

You're not trying to become fearless.

You're collecting proof that you can do hard things and still be standing afterward.

Stack enough of that proof, and one day you notice you aren't scared of the thing anymore.

You're just somebody who's done it before.

One question before you go: what's one thing you're afraid of doing, or don't feel confident about, or keep putting off because it's uncomfortable?

Reply to this email and tell me.

I'm happy to see if I can help.

Aaron