Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Life can be uncomfortable at times. You might reflect on 2020 and agree. Consider Viktor Frankl’s life, though, in comparison. He spent three years imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. His family had been killed. His life’s work was destroyed. His freedom was taken away.

How did he respond?

He discovered he had one thing that couldn’t be taken from him: his ability to determine what this suffering meant. From there, he found that he could find positives in this grim situation. He could test and revise his theories. He could be of service to others. He even took some solace that his loved ones were spared the pain and misery that he faced daily.

Find The Good

I’m not promoting some happy, hippy, peace and love bullshit here, but I am saying that we can use the lessons learned by those who have gone before us to our benefit. You choose how you feel about it in even the most dire situations. No one can force you to feel a certain way.

Hope Is Not A Strategy

We can all hope and take action to minimize our chances of ending up in a situation like Frankl did. In the end, that may not be enough. It may not be a concentration camp, but plenty of other difficult situations can and will arise: losing a loved one, destitution, cancer, disease, or war. How will you respond when disaster strikes?

Seneca said “set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with course and rough dress, saying to yourself the while ‘Is this the condition that I feared?’” He lived according to that principal and would routinely live as a homeless person for a period of time to remind him that, if it happens for real, he will survive.

We can use this tool in our own life as well. One way to do it is to take away modern life’s comforts, such as hot water.

The Challenge

So today, I’m introducing a new challenge: take a cold shower. Between now and the end of the challenge, take a shower with no hot water for an extra 10 points in the challenge.

While doing so, pay attention to how your body reacts. Notice the negative self-talk and pay particular attention to all the creative stories your mind comes up with to get you to either not do it or stop it once you start. Harden your mind, body, and spirit by ignoring these thoughts and persevering anyway. Ask yourself “Is this the condition that I feared?”

Today’s Tasks

Don’t forget to complete today’s tasks for the challenge.

• Drink 1 gallon of water
• Workout for 45 minutes
• Read ten pages from your book
• Stick to your meal plan
• Meditate for 10 minutes

Plus, the bonus cold shower challenge.

Once completed, head to the tracking site and mark them as completed to track your progress for the challenge. Tomorrow I’ll introduce box breathing and show you how to use it to calm yourself, redirect, and focus.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home. – Chief Tecumseh