The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur

January 27Gratefully Uncomfortable

The power which resides in us is new in nature, and none but we know what that is which we can do, nor do we know until we have tried. Not for nothing one face, one character, one fact, makes much impression on us, and another none. It is not without pre-established harmony, this sculpture in the memory. The eye was placed where one ray should fall, that it might testify of that particular ray.

Ralph Waldo Emerson—Self-Reliance (1841)

Comfort may indeed to be one of the greatest adversaries of the entrepreneur.

The moment we begin to feel we deserve something, get used to things being a certain way, or expect to be treated as though we are more important than another, is the moment we start to fade.

Entitlement creates stagnation and constrains the flow of nature in our lives.

You might actually play with this idea and find occasions to make yourself uncomfortable. It's not so much about being uncomfortable as it is about being comfortable with how it makes you feel.

You can do something very simple, like take a new way home, or something slightly more complex, like present a new idea to a room full of people you don't know.

Look for instances that make you irritated and observe why you're feeling this way. Travel is a great everyday irritant for some and presents a great opportunity for witnessing and accepting inconvenience in a gracious manner.

We take so much for granted when we strive to achieve that we forget just how great we have ...