Conscious

CHAPTER 8Discomfort Is the New Immunization

When you feel discomfort, don't shy away from the heat. Instead, walk intentionally across the hot coals. Like physical pain, discomfort serves a critical role for alerting you to what needs to be accepted, changed, or avoided. You will be a more agile and resilient person if you make friends with the ups and downs of life.

If we told you that a machine could inoculate you from discomfort, you probably wouldn't believe us. But in 1971 in Kobe, Japan, Daisuke Inoue invented a superb psychological device that did just that. He created a machine that intentionally placed people in an uncomfortable situation with the aim of inoculating them with discomfort. The result was people became comfortable with being uncomfortable. This machine was neither a drug treatment therapy nor a sensory deprivation tank. This machine was the karaoke machine.¹

For most people, speaking in public is the epitome of anxiety. Performing in public can be even worse. The brilliance of Inoue's karaoke machine is that it puts social anxieties in perspective. He inadvertently made a performance phobia treatment device. Singing your favorite songs, singing your heart out, knowing very well that you may not be very good, and accepting that fact, is a liberating experience. What it generates is the feeling of being your real self and lets your vulnerability shine through. Think of it as an immunization, like a flu shot for being embarrassed.

Unfortunately, there is ...