Comfort is the enemy of progress because nothing worth earning comes easy. Many will compete to have anything valuable in this world. To get anything of value, we need to get out of our comfort zones. That’s where the real growth happens.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. If we always do everything that we’re comfortable with, then we just get mediocre results over and over again. By definition, the best things in life happen when we try new things.
I personally wanted to move up in the world and build my net worth. Therefore, I did everything and anything uncomfortable I could do to build my net worth. Which included living in run-down apartments and cooking out for every single meal.
It’s how I built my net worth to $500k+ at the age of 28, with plans of growing that net worth even further. It was uncomfortable to save that much money and get in front of as many recruiters as I could to earn more money. However, it paid off in spades later down the road.
Comfort is the enemy of progress because we can’t elevate our life if we don’t try new things in our lives. By definition, moving up in life and achieving upward mobility is new territory for us. What better way to gain new territory than to put in new effort to achieve good results.
The more we put ourselves in uncomfortable situations, the better our lives become. Eventually.
Comfort is the Enemy of Progress: What it Means
Comfort is the enemy of progress means that we can’t level up in our lives if we don’t continue to innovate and try new things in our lives. When we do the same things over and over again, we get the exact same results as we’ve always been getting.
I personally struggled with this in my earlier years. I have a digestion problem that prevents me from eating most foods and beverages at any point throughout the day. However, I didn’t want to face the reality that something may be wrong with me.
Therefore, I let the days pass because I would have rather lived thinking that everything was fine instead of facing the truth and reality that my health was not as good as I thought it was. For years, I lived in delusional comfort that everything in my life was going fine.
Until one day, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had one last day of having bad sleep and was feeling beyond horrible. I had to do something about my health problems, otherwise I was never going to be able to live a normal life for the rest of my life.
Therefore, I took the uncomfortable action of going to multiple Doctors, being honest that something was wrong with me, trying different foods out, and so much more over 2+ years. And it finally worked. I’m finally cured. Comfort is the enemy of progress because we don’t grow when we think everything is fine.
We grow the most when we figure out the hard problems in our life and come up with solutions.
Comfort is the Enemy of Progress: 9 Reasons Why
Below are 9 reasons why comfort is the enemy of progress. It feels bad when we’re stuck in one place for the rest of our lives. Progress is one form of happiness.
1) Comfort is the Enemy of Progress Because Growth Isn’t Easy
It’s hard to elevate our lives and achieve upward mobility. Growth happens when we least expect it. We don’t control our growth but other external factors control it. We don’t control when we get a promotion, our bosses do. Even though we might influence our growth, we don’t control it.
When we don’t control our growth is when it becomes the most difficult. We personally cannot live without control in our lives. It’s one of the needs we have in our lives. However, when it comes to progress, it’s beyond our control and that terrifies us.
Comfort is the enemy of progress because nothing good ever comes from sitting around in the couch watching TV. It comes from us making things happen in our lives. There’s a ton of competition that we have to fend off in our journey.
Progress and personal growth is difficult to obtain because so many people are also trying to get ahead at the same time we’re competing against them.
2) Competition is Fierce
I currently make $200k+ in income from my 9-5. In my 20s. That’s almost top 1% income for my age group. There’s many others who would love to take my place and love it when I complain because they’re just waiting and dying to take over my place one day.
Competition for valuable resources is fierce. However, I fought and clawed my way to get to where I am today. Competition is fierce for what I have because I know that I have a good life right now. Not only do I make almost the top 1% income for my age group, I’m almost at the top 1% net worth for my age group.
That motivates me to try even harder and to always go outside of my comfort zone. Comfort is the enemy of progress because the amount of work, sweat, and tears I shed to get to where I am is insurmountable. It’s why I try so hard to keep what I have.
There’s many others in the world who want what I have. It’s my job to prove my worth every single day.
3) Society Likes Go-Getters
We don’t like people who just sit around the couch expecting the world to cater to them. It’s the other way around. We have to cater to the world and extract as much value as we can from the world. The ones in power don’t respect the ones who don’t have a good work ethic.
Comfort is the enemy of progress because society just doesn’t reward lazy behavior. They want to give opportunities to someone who actually tries hard and puts in effort every single day to get to where they want to be. It’s not easy.
When I look at a potential job applicant, I see what effort they put in to communicate their worth and value for the company to benefit from. If I see that they look good on paper but do not put in the work and take their place in the world for granted, I don’t recommend or accept them.
I want someone who’s willing to work to make their dreams and my dreams a reality. It’s how I got to where I am, after all.
4) The World Moves Forward Without Us
Whether we sit on the couch watching TV or whether we watch YouTube videos all day long, society moves along without us. Comfort is the enemy of progress because while we’re sitting in our comfort, the world moves forward without us.
We have to keep up with the world and the rising cost of living to keep up with the others’ pace. The world is too busy with their own problems to cater to us individually. If we don’t progress, we get left behind. Inflation makes sure we have to elevate our life otherwise we get left behind in the dust.
After years and even decades of effort, we realize what the fruits of our labor is for. Then we know how everything was worth it. All the late nights and all the years of effort without going anywhere will have all been worth it. We can’t get there without putting in our best every single day.
Life is hard for people who try. Life is even harder for people who don’t try in the first place.
5) We Level Up By Overcoming Challenges
We have to figure things out in the world ourselves. Mentors are great but they’re only one part of the puzzle. They don’t know the intricate details of what we go through on a day to day basis. We overcome challenges in our lives whether it’s the first job we get out of college.
Or the promotion your boss dangles in front of you but won’t give you unless you get another offer from another company. Or anything else in between. Comfort is the enemy of progress because we face unlimited number of challenges in our lives.
Life is hard. It only gets harder as we age and as we’re responsible for more people than ourselves, such as having kids and a spouse. When we overcome that challenge and figure out solutions to our problems is when everything falls into place.
That’s how we earn our place in the world.
6) Everyone Has Access to Comfort
Only the few put in the hard work and effort every single day to make their dreams a reality. Everyone can choose comfort every single day. I personally choose to work every single weekend, figuring out ways on how I can earn more money and elevate my place in the world.
That’s how I get ahead and how I know one day, everything will have been worth it. That’s how I compete against the ones who choose comfort every single weekend instead of figuring out how to elevate their goals. Comfort is the enemy of progress because everyone wants an easy way out.
They want things handed to them instead of trying to figure out ways how to get it themselves. As companies create products that make our lives easier and more comforting, it becomes easier than ever to compete against others who just want to watch TV all day long.
When we make choices that the rest of the world doesn’t make, we differentiate ourselves from them. That’s how we compete.
7) We Get Pidgeonholed
There are jobs in which the company will be very honest about the potential for upward mobility. Some jobs absolutely do not come with any amount of upward mobility. When we choose to stay in a comfortable role, companies do not offer the really good opportunities to the complacent.
Some companies only offer international placement opportunities to a select few. My dad fortunately was a part of the few who proved his value to the company. That’s how I got to live in the United States. He didn’t get pidgeonholed and the company rewarded his efforts because he took his family out of their comfort zone.
Comfort is the enemy of progress because the ones in power currently do not want to give opportunities to those who aren’t risk takers. To get ahead in life we have to take risks. Calculated risks. I’ve taken more risk than I would’ve liked and lost a lot of money as a result.
However, I earned more on a net basis over the years. Risks are worth taking.
8) Comfort is the Enemy of Progress Because Change is Good
New experiences guide us forward. We will constantly be faced with change for the rest of our lives. A change of job, relationships, family, and the like. When we reject change and stay in our bubble, that’s when we stay at the same place for all our lives.
Whether we like or want it, we HAVE to face change consistently for the rest of our lives. One of the reasons why I haven’t bought a house is the idea of tying up my capital in an illiquid asset. I am afraid the change in my asset allocation will be a net negative one.
However, one day, I know I’m going to buy a house and get over my fear of tying up my capital. Because I know comfort is the enemy of progress. That’s how I’m going to build the next level of my net worth. Real estate is one of the best ways to build wealth.
Those who reject change will never move up in life in a significant manner.
9) We Improve by Competing Against Better Competitors
When we always beat level 3 competitors but refuse to move up to level 4, we will always stay at level 3 for the rest of our lives. We have to move up in stakes at some point if we want to elevate to the top 1%. That doesn’t mean we have to move up the stakes when we’re not ready.
However, it does mean that we eventually move up in stakes at some point. The top competitors in the world aren’t playing in the kiddie pools. They plunge themselves in cold water and see what they can do to learn. Failure and losses are the best teachers in the world.
Comfort is the enemy of progress because we can’t stay in one level for the rest of our lives. No matter how comforting and easy it is to win at the same level. Being a big fish in a small pond is OK, but at some point, we have to move to a bigger pond.
Competition is scary but also exhilarating.
Comfort is the Enemy of Progress
One of the biggest regrets that I have is staying comfortable for far too long. I wish I took care of my health issues a lot sooner than I did. I wish I didn’t think everything was OK with my life and rather took more proactive steps to see what was wrong with my life.
It was comforting to think that I had everything figured out and everything was OK, even when the building was on fire. That’s living in denial. Comfort is almost like living in denial. Comfort is enemy of progress. We don’t want to live in denial.
I can’t imagine how far along the journey I would be if I figured out my health issues even 3 – 5 years sooner. 10 years sooner would’ve done wonders for my life. Although I have regrets, all I can do now is to make do with what I have and where I am.
I have a feeling that I can compete well against the world with what I have. However, a lot can still go wrong in the journey, no matter how confident I am. We want to always be growing. Because if we’re not growing, we’re left behind by the unforgiving world.
Comfort is the enemy of progress and we have to constantly challenge ourselves to innovate and come up with new solutions for the world to gain value from. It’s much better than doing the same things over and over again for the rest of our lives. We won’t be learning anything new at that point.
Progress and elevating to the next level just feels amazing.
Comfort is the Enemy of Progress: 9 Reasons Why Shortlist
- Comfort is the enemy of progress because growth isn’t easy
- Competition is fierce
- Society likes go-getters
- The world moves forward without us
- We level up by overcoming challenges
- Everyone has access to comfort
- We get pidgeonholed
- Comfort is the enemy of progress because change is good
- We improve by competing against better competitors
