I was working with a client going over his sales pipeline (which was not as firm as we both had hoped) when he let out a big sigh. “I’m just not comfortable with this! Shouldn’t I be feeling more comfortable by now?”

My client’s question brings up two issues. First, should he be feeling more “comfortable”? And second, how fast should that happen?

Should we be comfortable?

If we’re chasing after BIG goals, I’m not sure we should be expecting to feel comfortable.

• Big goals mean pushing yourself.
• Big goals mean trying things you’ve never done before.
• Big goals mean you aren’t resting on what worked last year (or month).

What would we say to someone who had committed themselves to be in the top 2% in the country, but also wanted to feel comfortable? Are Olympic athletes comfortable?

If we choose to go after big growth goals, we are committed to a permanent state of feeling uncomfortable. That’s why so few folks do it!

How long will this go on?

If you were to slow down your growth, if you aimed for a lower goal, you would have more time to rest at each stage of growth. You wouldn’t have to learn so much, so fast. You might feel somewhat more comfortable, and you would have to learn and accomplish new things more gradually.

When you slow your growth, you could get a lower level of discomfort over a longer time. 

So you can adjust your goals or change your speed to feel more comfortable.

If, on the other hand, you are committed to your goals and timeline, you need to adjust your expectation of comfort!