Growth Versus Comfort In A Time Of COVID

Image by Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto from Pixabay 

There’s a quote I close all of my personal podcasts with that’s always appealed to me. I wrote about it in one of my earliest blog posts and it’s guided almost all of my decisions in life:

“You’re better off scared than bored.”

It isn’t my quote - I first heard it from Harvey Mackay in his book, Beware The Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt. (And, for the record, the exact quote is, “You’re a lot better off being scared than bored”.)

But it’s resonated so strongly with me over the years because it confirms what I believe to be one of life’s truisms: you’re never going to grow if you just stick to what you know. 

In other words, if you’re bored, you’re not growing, you’re not pushing yourself, you’re not changing for the better. And if you’re not growing in some form or fashion, then I’m not sure you’re getting the most out of life.

Of course, when I first read these words, I interpreted them in the context of what we consciously and actively decide to do with our lives (or not). But it’s equally true in situations that we’ve been thrust into, as is the case right now with COVID-19. 

We’re in the midst of some pretty scary times and so we’re being forced to deal with plenty of uncertainty and change. We don’t know what the answers necessarily are because we don’t even know all of the parameters and variables that are at play. We don’t know - within the business context - when “normal” will return or even what the heck “normal” is going to look like. So, at minimum, we don’t really have the option to be bored. 

I’ve found it helpful to remind myself, then, that times like these are when the growth we long for actually occurs. Because these are the times when the best of us get to show up, where those who are committed to the cause, who are vested in our collective future, get things done. These are the times when we move the needle within ourselves.  

Note that I was intentional in that choice of words: we get to do these things now. 

In other words, this is only going to happen if we have the mindset and attitude to get after it. We need to be intentional. 

And that means recognizing that, while we don’t have all of the answers, it does mean we need to get in the mix. It means we need to listen and learn. It means we need to collect as much data as we can (spoiler alert: it’ll never be enough). It means we need to think hard and develop a point of view. 

And then it means we need to get out there and do. Get involved, get engaged and do the work. Yes, it’s going to be messy and risky. Yes, some things won’t end up where we want them to be. Yes, we’ll end up going back and forth until we figure things out. 

But it’s not like we have a choice. 

Because there’s a tradeoff between growth and comfort in the best of times. And right now, the comfort’s gone, so either you make the growth happen, or someone else’s growth is going to happen to you. 

H/T to my friend, Jacqueline, for her post that inspired this.