In a Tedx Talk, Bill Eckstrom, the CEO and founder of Ecsell Institute, talks about the rewards of not only stepping out of your comfort zone, but also staying in a state of discomfort when it comes to growth and success. He talks about a personal experience when as an executive with a handsome salary and perks, he was fired by his boss. "I left the conference room in a dazed state, and I went home and curled up in my bed in the fetal position for three hours. And while I could go on in vivid detail about how I felt, what it did to my self-esteem, my finances, and so on, what I now realise is, while that event created the greatest amount of discomfort I had ever felt, it was that discomfort, the departure from my ordered life, that forever changed it for the better." Eckstrom goes on to emphasise that "what makes you comfortable can ruin you, and only in a state of discomfort, can you continually grow." He went on to apply the science of discomfort to a concept he and a PhD friend titled 'The Growth Rings' which "represent living environments that promote or hinder growth. And that includes everything from your place of work, to even a fishbowl." Comparing people to goldfish, Eckstrom makes the analogy that "the environments in which you work, live, and play, are all a proverbial fishbowl that dictates your growth". He goes to say that after stagnation and chaos, which is the antithesis of the former, is 'order'. "Knowing that what you do, or what is happening in your environment, leads to a predictable outcome. And in predictability, comfort is found. But comfort is also what makes order so dangerous. Because science shows that anytime you continually do something, or even think about something the same way, you'll eventually stop growing." Talking about the power of discomfort, Eckstrom says, "While most times your visceral response to discomfort is not just 'no', but 'hell, no,' you can actually learn how empowering it is to consciously acknowledge discomfort, and then, when appropriate, choose complexity over order. And I know seeking discomfort sounds odd, and not many people do it, but you have to learn to embrace it because it's the only environment where sustained or exponential growth can occur." 📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don't miss out on the latest updates!
