Happy Monday! ✌🏼☕️ Today is all about growth & how putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, experiences or places can act as a catalyst to unlocking happier & more purposeful versions of yourself.

Being uncomfortable is uneasy but staying stagnant and not growing is worse.

💫Words of the Week 

There’s this saying that goes, “You don’t grow if you’re always comfortable”, and in most times it’s probably true. Growth by definition is about increasing beyond what was - it’s those opportunities of discomfort that challenges us to do more, to take initiative of expanding our capabilities, & to potentially opening up an endless possibility of doors we never seemed possible.

Although comfort is familiar, it can stagnate us. It’s a place that we know, where we feel safe, and are certain of outcomes and how things work - especially when it comes to ourselves. When we’re stuck in our habits, we become so accustomed to what we have perceived as the norm and this ultimately can limit our desire to do more and be more. Which is not what we want right?

So seek discomfort they say - move to a new place, take the risk you’ve been holding out on, switch paths if you feel stagnant, seek opportunities or environments in which you know you can thrive in, but have yet to experience.

Shown below is a sweet graphic that demonstrates the upside or “magic” as they say in putting yourselves in these learning & growth zones 🔑:

💆🏻‍♂️ Some learnings & thoughts

Last March I moved to Berlin for work. Aside from a previous 6-hour layover I had in Hamburg - I had no idea what I was expecting from my next 4 months living in Germany. All alone in a new city with zero friends and some limited German (Thank you Duolingo), it was such a pivotal time filled with discomfort and uncertainty. And I wouldn’t change one bit of it 🇩🇪🥙.

I still remember landing at the airport… with a uncharged phone, a bunch of suitcases, and an attempt in speaking broken German-English to a taxi driver to get me to my apartment in the city of Berlin. I was in totally new territory with no one around me but myself to push me through. Making it to the right apartment was a good start haha.

New foods, new people, a totally new way of living and adapting to culture - I was without a doubt out of my comfort zone & had to commit myself to meeting new people, putting effort in embracing the city alone & did a lot of self-thinking in those 4 months.

And only after I left in late July did I realize how much I grew as a person - I learned some German, discovered a sense of direction in my career path (still working on it haha), learned I loved walkable cities & found importance in a bunch of things I didn’t prioritize before.

I learned quickly how placing yourselves in uncertainty can lead to so many new opportunities and mindsets that might not have been present in where I was before.

💭 Question for you

How are you looking to grow in 2024? Can placing yourself in an uncomfortable area allow you to get there?

Till next Monday, Dave ✌🏽🌎