Getting Comfortable With The Uncomfortable by Guest Blogger Coach Paul Barry

Getting Comfortable With The Uncomfortable

There are numerous challenges that humanity has had to face as a result of events caused by the COVID19 Virus Pandemic. The speed of transmission has provided a short period to process what has happened. To varying degrees this is always the case when major incidents take place with little or no warning. Initial plans are made as key information & data become available. As more understanding & clarity is formed priorities can be formulated & in this situation which elements of isolation or lockdown need to be imposed. Most countries are at different stages with the virus & it’s people as well as the extent of lockdown. There are also many known unknowns & unknown unknowns. This is clearly not a situation that anyone would choose to be in, but challenging life events always have a silver lining. A major learning experience is available for personal Empowerment by being understanding, accepting & becoming Comfortable with the Uncomfortable.

Humans are resilient & have gained wisdom from prior generations who have lived through previous world events. COVID19 has quickly transcended previous viral outbreaks & has impacted vast numbers of people. It is always interesting to observe how our individual personalities have impacted how we deal with different situations. At one end of the spectrum you have people needing complete control of everything in their life & at the other end of the continuum people are always totally relaxed about everything. Most of us create, change, craft & refine our personalities during our life due to numerous life events & life phases. As our personality is one of the key major drivers in our life, we can use that awareness in this current scenario to provide us with a more Empowered viewpoint which in turn assists with being more Comfortable with the Uncomfortable.

Lockdown is confronting but also provides a major blessing. What better time is there to put ourselves under the personal microscope! A few examples of aspects you could ponder. How honest are you with yourself? In relationships do you hold back & why? What are your belief systems, why did they form & are they all still relevant? Do your actions align with who you say you are? If they no longer serve you ditch them & gain clarity on the new replacement. Areas like our thoughts, views, actions, etc. are all habitual. From our brains neural view how principled an action or thought is does not change the fact that it is an ingrained habit. The time frame to break habits differs due to our behavioural traits, personal circumstances, level of desire to change etc. Our conscious automatic habits all have a neural pathway constructed in our brain. When we introduce a new characteristic, it takes some time to become automatic. We need to focus on the new aspect, repeat the intention regularly & ensure that our actions align with the new intention. What we are doing is creating a new habit. If you make an error do not beat yourself up but simply restate your intention of what it is that you want. A good honest look at ourselves from time to time of how we truly are in life is not only healthy but extremely Empowering. This personal openness can greatly assit you in being Comfortable with the Uncomfortable.

Most people would agree that we are remarkably interesting to watch & observe. People watching is quite common & something most people enjoy. If it were a sport it would be the number one sport in the world. For me, the real beauty is most people watchers are usually nonjudgmental, only see the people & not factors like culture, religion, race, sex etc.

Like the “Butterfly Effect” enhancing Empowerment aids in feeling more Comfortable with the Uncomfortable which assists in creating real change. As we enhance our life, we also enhance other lives in the world. We are part of a major historical event which is a very humbling experience. It reminds us that we are all connected, we all have a responsibility towards ourselves & to humanity.

Guest Blogger is Paul Barry who is based in Brisbane Australia where he works as Coach & Consultant in High Performance Sport. He can be contacted by email:  pbelitecoach@gmail.com