I went to the dentist today to get a molar in the back of my mouth removed, and the experience was horrible. Talk about discomfort! Just in case you don’t know, having someone intentionally poke into your nerve with a sharp needle so they can inject anesthesia is utterly awful. For the record, I never wanted to have my tooth pulled, but my dentist insisted it was necessary to do so. In the end, I survived the procedure, and my risk of dental health will be better because of it.

Discomfort is something we instinctively avoid, but sometimes it’s inevitable. And when we’re striving to grow and improve ourselves, we must be committed to overcoming it.

Getting in the gym and lifting weights is a great way to train your mind for this. You simply need to induce discomfort by performing challenging sets. It might be a light amount of weight with a high rep count or a heavy weight with a low rep count. You just need to make sure it forces you to struggle. Whether you give up or push through won’t be determined by your muscles, but rather your mind. If you’re hellbent on finishing that last rep, you’ll will it to fruition. Perhaps you’ll need a brief break or a gulp of water, but you’ll finish the job.

When you’re outside of the gym, that ability to confront and conquer discomfort will benefit other areas of your life. When you’re pushing forward to fulfill your purpose on this earth, there will be forks in your road where you must decide between the paths of stagnation and discomfort. If your mind is already wired to confront and conquer discomfort, it won’t allow you to choose the path of stagnation.

The path to becoming your best version is paved with discomfort. Don’t run from it. Leveling yourself up is about confronting it. In the end, you’ll survive and thrive.

Sayonara until next time.