Get Uncomfortable—It’s Surprisingly Motivating

Growth—pursuing a goal—is uncomfortable.

The good news: you can use that to your advantage.

Yes, that’s right!

You can use discomfort as motivation.

When it comes to motivation, especially in the face of discomfort, you can use…

…self-talk…

…some type of extrinsic reward…

…or you use cognitive reappraisal.

Huh?

Yeah, it’s just an academically fancy way of saying shifting your perspective.

And, one of the key functions of cognitive reappraisal—or perspective shifting—is to regulate emotions.

When it comes to growth—pursuing a goal—cognitive reappraisal serves as an emotion regulation strategy in the face of negative (i.e., uncomfortable) experiences.

Simply put, the cognitive reappraisal of discomfort opens you up to seeing discomfort as a positive experience.

What’s this have to do with motivation?

When it comes to keeping you engaged on a task that leads to your growth—or, motivated to moving forward on your goal—the cognitive reappraisal of discomfort WORKS!

At least that’s what researchers Kaitlin Woolley and Ayelet Fishbach found.

In a series of studies, participants who purposely sought out discomfort because it served as a sign of progress stayed engaged with activities significantly longer than participants instructed to focus on skill acquisition.

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When it comes to your growth—your goals—it’s often hard to know if you are making progress.

The benefit of your effort is usually delayed.

However, the cost—the discomfort—is immediate.

Overtime, this can be pretty defeating—or unmotivating.

It no longer has to be, though.

Simply shift your perspective.

Engage in some cognitive reappraisal of discomfort.

Purposely seek out the discomfort, especially in connection with your goal, and see it for what it is—progress toward your goal.

Get uncomfortable…

…it’s surprisingly motivating!