Embrace the Uncomfortable: Why Change is Your Path to Kingdom Growth
0Top o' the Mornin' to Ya!
TLDR: Stop avoiding discomfort and start embracing change as the pathway to transformation. Learn why successful Kingdom Family Leaders must choose the temporary pain of growth over the permanent pain of staying stuck, and discover how to shift your mindset from comfort-seeking to change-embracing for Kingdom impact.
What?
The only one who likes change is a baby with a dirty diaper - that's the old cliche. But you need to embrace change. If you are not 200% satisfied with your life, your position, your place in life, you need to embrace change. What's the problem with change? It's uncomfortable.
I used to coach ski racing and teach skiing. One of the things I told my clients as we sat there on the slope is I told the baby diaper story. I said "You guys came here and you paid me money to improve your skiing. The thing you didn't realize when you signed up is that you wanted to be uncomfortable."
I'd ask "Raise your hand if you want to be uncomfortable." Nobody raises their hand. Then I'd ask "How many of you guys want to be better skiers?" They all raise their hand. I said "Is better skiing different than now?" They said "Well, yes it is." I said "Did you recognize that all change is uncomfortable and that you need to get into it and embrace the discomfort? You need to embrace change. You need to accept this is going to be uncomfortable and take it with both arms, give it a big hug and say 'I love you.'"
The old story is you never tell a baby as he is walking and he falls down that he is never gonna walk again. It was uncomfortable to stand up and go "woo hoo, yay." And it's uncomfortable to fall down. Change is uncomfortable, but I'm walking. You're walking. The baby's walking. He got through it. He embraced change.
Why?
I share this because too many Kingdom Family Leaders are living in the comfortable prison of "good enough." You're successful by external standards but internally you know there's more God has for you. The enemy of great isn't bad - it's good. When we settle for comfortable mediocrity, we're not just shortchanging ourselves, we're limiting our Kingdom impact.
Change requires us to move from our comfort zone into the growth zone, and that transition is always uncomfortable. But here's what I learned coaching skiing and what applies to every area of life: you paid the price to get better, which means you actually wanted the discomfort of growth - you just didn't realize it consciously.
Lesson
The fundamental truth about transformation is that all meaningful change requires temporary discomfort. Your brain is wired to keep you safe and comfortable, but Kingdom growth demands that you override that programming and choose the temporary pain of discipline over the permanent pain of regret.
Change is taking the discipline we've talked about and putting it into practice, using it as inspiration and motivation. If you're content - let me replace that word - if you're complacent with your state, your status, your relationships, your money, your family, your fitness, your health because you don't like change, it's time to make a mind shift.
The baby learning to walk analogy illustrates a key principle: children naturally embrace the discomfort of learning because they haven't yet developed the adult fear of failure or embarrassment. They fall down, get back up, and keep trying until they master walking. As Kingdom Family Leaders, we need to recapture that childlike willingness to be temporarily uncomfortable for the sake of continued growth.
Apply
Identify one area of your life where you've been avoiding necessary change because it feels uncomfortable. Write down specifically what discomfort you're avoiding and what growth you're missing because of that avoidance. Then commit to taking one uncomfortable action in that area this week.
Practice reframing discomfort as a signal that you're growing rather than a signal that something is wrong. When you feel that familiar resistance to change, literally say out loud "This discomfort means I'm growing" and lean into it rather than backing away. Document how this mindset shift affects your willingness to take necessary action.
You be blessed!
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If you can't do this change alone, I'll be there for you as your coach or mastermind facilitator. Reach out at brian.chat and we can talk about those programs as well: https://brian.chat/
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