Mind the Beginner

Today I’d like to present you with a long list of things to increase your comfort zone. But before we have a look at that, I’m sure you’re wondering why in Buddha’s name would you want to do that. After all, you’re sitting there in your comfy chair, air conditioning, coffee at hand and not a care in the world. Nice little plush bubble your in, nice and safe.

Now, let’s have a small experiment before we begin with the list. What if the air conditioning failed on you right now and slowly the temperature starts to rise. Quickly it will become less comfortable right? You’re used to room temperature and now it’s very warm here indeed. You’re uncomfortable, perhaps sweating a bit.A single drop of sweat starts rolling down your back.

If this never happened to you before that single drop of sweat might just make you want to take a shower right away. It’s ” icky” or whatever… or at least, you do your best to avoid such things (even though sweating is human) and so this is definitely uncomfortable. What if someone can smell your body odor?! Hell on earth for some people.

But what is it exactly, a single small drop of fluid slowly making it’s way down your back. Is that really so terrible? When taking a shower you’ve got millions of drops. Get the idea? You’re not comfortable with a single drop, even though it’s not the end of the world. It won’t matter in a few hours let alone in a week or so. Don’t make such a big deal out of something small.

The list

To get more comfortable I suggest looking for slight discomfort every now and then and here are a lot of ideas:

1. Postpone  showering for a day
2. Turn of the air conditioning
3. Do NOT drink that coffee
4. Sleep a few hours less for several nights
5. Turn off the TV
6. Turn off the PC
7. Turn off ALL power for a day
8. Limit your food to just bread and water for a day
9. Under-dress/”forget” your jacket
10. Leave the car in the driveway and take the bike
11. Leave your mobile phone at home
12. Same goes for laptop/iPod
13. For 30 seconds, run as fast as you can. (not as fast as you think you can)
14. Don’t sit down if standing is possible
15. Get off the bus a stop earlier
16. Drink nothing but water for a week
17. Don’t eat until your stomach has growled for an hour at least
18. Sleep on the floor
19. Take a short walk, barefoot
20. Eat something you’ve never eaten before
21. Drink something you’ve never drank before
22. Take a cold shower
23. Lie down on the floor in a public place
24. Cut all your nails short
25. If you’re a clean freak, make a huge mess
26. If you live in a pig pen, clean up

I could go on endlessly but what I’m actually talking about is: Do something you normally don’t do, experience something new, explore your discomforts and inflict them upon yourself. Right now you have the choice to do those things. Next time the air conditioning breaks down, that single drop won’t phase you if you’ve experienced it before and know it’s not a big deal.

An exercise in discomfort

And now an extreme challenge in comfort, try the following:

Grab your backpack and pack a change of clothes, a toothbrush and perhaps a book. (No laptop, other electronics or food) Do this all in less than 5 minutes.

Now walk out the door, close it, and don’t go back inside your home for at least 48 hours. If this is too easy for you, I’ve got four aditional levers for you:

1. Get away longer than 48 hours, let’s say 72
2. No hotel/motel or other payed place to sleep
3. Leave all types of money behind, you’re not allowed to spend a cent
4. No contact with anyone you know

Of course, if you level up, the restrictions of the previous level still apply. I dare you, give it a go.

Over time people get all to comfortable and become afraid of things that only a few decades ago were daily life. Get out of that comfort-bubble and refuse to get back in. If it’s comfortable it’s potentially dangerous, anything comfortable will have power over you if you don’t watch out.

Good luck and enjoy the discomfort