Are you Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable?
Through our experience globally, we see that entrepreneurs have a unique skill set. They are, essentially, uncomfortable all the time. They deal every day with shifting elements such as customer needs/wants, changes in the market, monthly revenue, monthly bills, and so much more.
Entrepreneurs have developed the ability to be comfortable with these uncomfortable changes. This is an important skill that people looking for work today should develop, from the student looking for a first job to an adult shifting careers. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable can help you overcome many obstacles, and entrepreneurs, in particular, have used this skill to continue their success journey.
As an entrepreneurial venture becomes more of a small or medium-sized business, being comfortable with being uncomfortable becomes a routine. They know what is going to happen and anticipate what to do, and they know how to deal with it. What they need, occasionally, is a change in their level of comfort in being uncomfortable. This takes good insight, and questions on which the entrepreneur reflects back on successes and failures in their past.
Growing from an entrepreneur into a small business requires some key questions. One of them could be “What can I do to change my behavior so that I am no longer comfortable in the routine that I’ve created?”
There are many other questions and insights we have learned from working with entrepreneurs globally. We’d love to hear your stories and other questions that you think might help someone who is comfortable being uncomfortable become uncomfortable again.
BEFORE YOU GO
We see our blogs as opportunities for dialogue. Please share your thoughts as comments.
• What are some key questions you can think about to allow yourself to be uncomfortable?
• When do you recognize that you are comfortable being uncomfortable, and its time to shift gears?
• What insights do you have from your experience?
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Faris Alami is Founder and CEO of International Strategic Management, Inc. (ISM). He works internationally, presenting Exploring Entrepreneurship Workshops and other entrepreneurial ecosystem — related ventures.
