Miserable or Uncomfortable
David Freund

This week I heard a quote that has stuck with me: “As humans, we would rather be miserable than uncomfortable.”

What a powerful statement — and unfortunately, what a true statement.

What makes this idea even more troubling is that, for the most part, we’re completely unaware it’s happening. Over time, we become desensitized to misery, and it slowly becomes socially acceptable.

If you disagree with my assessment that many people are simply miserable, just take a look at social media. Look at the comments people make online. There’s a toxicity that seems to be permeating our society, and I believe a large contributor to that toxicity is an abundance of miserable mindsets.

So, what do I mean by that?

Many people are unhappy with their situation in life, yet they’re unwilling to do the work required to make a positive change. In some cases, people simply aren’t aware that other options exist. Rather they blame others and wallow in self-pity.

This past week, I was teaching a session of, and we talked about why people don’t set goals. One of the primary reasons is limited thinking. Limited thinking feels safe. Moving beyond those limitations can be scary and uncomfortable. So rather than risk discomfort, we stay where we are — even if that means remaining miserable.

Take a simple example: losing weight.

If you want to lose weight, you need to exercise more and reduce your calorie intake. That can be uncomfortable. From my perspective, eating vegetables instead of potato chips isn’t exactly exciting. Yet, we all know that exercising and eating better will help us lose weight and ultimately feel better in the long run.

So, the real question becomes: Are you willing to move beyond the miserable and do something that might be uncomfortable?

My friend and mentor John Maxwell often says, “Everything you want in life is just outside your comfort zone.” Sadly, many people have uphill dreams but downhill habits. If we want to achieve the dreams we have, we must be willing to step outside our comfort zone and do things that may feel hard. Remember — hard is good. Hard makes us stronger. Hard makes us more resilient.

Life will bring challenges. It will be hard. It will sometimes be painful. The challenges of life come to all of us, indiscriminately, and we all must go through them.  So, my proposal is simple: since we know we must go through them, why not choose to grow through them? If you do, you will come out on the other side stronger, wiser, and more resilient.

Being uncomfortable might just be one of the best choices we ever make. Let’s all become comfortable, being a little uncomfortable. It’s better than being miserable.