Move to the Edge, Declare it Center

Chapter 4INTERIOR PRACTICES: GET COMFORTABLE WITH BEING UNCOMFORTABLE

“How you gonna win, if you ain't right within?”

—Lauryn Hill¹

When I asked Jana, the fire‐response volunteer profiled in Chapter 3, about what she had learned since 2017, she surprised me. “It was terrifying but empowering to be thrust in this situation. I never thought I was the kind of person that could do that. I mean … before volunteering, I wanted the highest‐paying job with the least responsibility! Now, one of my key phrases is being comfortable with being uncomfortable, and then just kind of holding space for that and settling into how we can process the fear.”

So far, I've described Move to the Edge, Declare It Center as a framework, focused on building mastery of craft. But a framework is empty without the inner work – the Interior practices – that focus on building mastery of self. In my experience, working toward mastery of self becomes even more important as leaders take on more responsibility and their decisions have larger consequences.

It's not an accident that NASA, sports teams, and Navy SEALS, among others, have researched and developed training programs for high‐performing individuals confronting high‐intensity, high‐stakes situations. The research of Anders Ericsson shows the impact of deliberate practice, popularized (incorrectly) as the 10,000‐hour rule.² Highly accomplished musicians ...