Written by Zach Grossfeld

Last week, I made a list of things that make me uncomfortable. First up: public speaking.

Everyone knows the things that scare the shit out of them.

When’s the last time you made a list of these activities?

If you’re like me, it took you 25 years to write them down. Last week, I made a list of the things that scare me the most.

I’m not talking about horror film scary or cringy.

This list is full of things that may make me feel uncomfortable in the moment but will hopefully serve my long term happiness.

Here it goes:

Performing stand up comedy
Shooting a firearm/bow
Learning Jiu-Jitsu
Public Speaking
Skydiving
Learning to Dance
Singing

Everything above strikes fear into me. As Will Smith said on his newfound Instagram:

“Life is on the other side of fear.”

I’ve already started on one endeavor: public speaking.

Recently, I signed up for Toastmasters, an organization dedicated to helping you improve communication and leadership skills. Toastmasters has groups all over the country. If you have any hesitation with public speaking, I highly suggest throwing yourself into a group.

You are not alone.

According to Psychology Today, some people fear public speaking worse than death. If I’m going to die, it may as well be with dry mouth in front of a few hundred people.

Don’t feel pressure to knock out everything in a month.

You can’t.

Focus on one task at a time.

Work a single activity into your routine.

For me, I need discomfort in my life. I grew up in a healthy, two-parent household in the suburbs of Long Island, New York. Boujee Central. My life has been pretty sweet so far, and I want to introduce voluntary hardship into my schedule.

The more I suffer voluntarily, the less I will be affected by involuntary suffering.

According to Michael Hopf, a combat veteran of the marine corps and best-selling author:

“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

I’ve seen a ton of “good times,” which is why I wanted to create a list of things that will knock me on my ass, in a good way. I think a lot of Millenials, people in my generation, put themselves through mental torture because they create problems where none exist.

If nothing tests us, we look for problems to put in front of ourselves. We find meaning in solving problems and enduring discomfort, which is why it’s essential to seek healthy fears.

When we don’t have problems to solve and fears to conquer, we disengage from society and become unproductive.

I’ve dabbled in the unproductive lifestyle.

After my college baseball ended, I faced an existential crisis and a lack of competition. For 15 years, I had valued myself by my athletic performance and set a goal to make the major leagues as a pitcher.

Then, reality rattled me.

I wasn’t good enough, and two surgeries left my arm feeling like a shell of its former self. For weeks, I sat bored on my ass until I discovered podcasting.

Recording a podcast made me uncomfortable, but it gave me a purpose and a new process beyond baseball.

Find a purpose, harness discomfort, hone the process, get comfortable, find a new level of discomfort, rinse, repeat.

Sometimes, the process sucks.

Most of the time, it will seem mundane.

But ten percent of the time, you will experience magical moments that wouldn’t be possible without the struggle.

Hopefully, in twenty years, I’ll be a bow-wielding, skydiving, podcasting jiu-jitsu master. Today, I’m a podcaster — time to get uncomfortable.

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