This was a fun interview on The Sports Project Radio Show. Steve and I talk about the importance of surrounding yourself with people who bring you up and hold you accountable to a standard that helps you meet your goals. And then I go into what I hate the cliché, “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.”

First, seeking comfort anywhere in performance is risky, particularly in competition when it is ‘your best’ versus ‘their best’. Where is comfort to be found in running or lifting a personal best?

Growth isn’t comfortable … We hate making mistakes and have to feel the pain and keep going anyway. So just the suggestion of seeking comfort bothers me.

Secondly, if you do happen to get comfortable being uncomfortable – then you need to do something more challenging.
If you are “comfortable being uncomfortable”, you are no longer uncomfortable and you risk plateauing.

Now the sentiment behind this cliché is a good one – but let me offer this phrase to you instead, “Be willing.”

Be willing to feel the pain and discomfort that is necessary to keep you moving forward. You never have to like it. You should never get used to it and it should never be easy. But you can appreciate the pain and difficulty for what it is – an always uncomfortable and unpleasant experience that has great value in the process of becoming your best self.

Listen here and forward this to an athlete who wants to improve his/her game.