8 a.m., any office building in America:
Dozens of cars circle the parking lot, windows closed, drivers breathing climate controlled, filtered air polluted by their air freshener of choice. Sunglasses on, smartphone in hand. Sugary coffee drinks from the drive through in the extra large cup holders. Grease slowly turns the white paper fast food bag on the empty passenger seat translucent. They drive past dozens of empty parking spots, looking for the one closest to the door. They slowly drag themselves to the elevator and hit the button labeled “2”. The job sucks, but it seems secure. Another day.

People spend most of their time trying to be comfortable. Trying to avoid anything uncomfortable. They’re missing out. There is no need to be masochistic, but we can benefit from being uncomfortable more often. Here are a few examples:

Cold exposure:
The body responds to cold by generating heat. One way it does this is through brown adipose tissue. This is a specialized type of tissue that directly converts body fat to warmth. The benefits of that are obvious. Cold exposure also increases cold tolerance. Discomfort now lets you tolerate more cold in relative comfort later.

Heat exposure:
People all over the world have enjoyed saunas, hot tubs, and other similar experiences for generations. They can’t all be wrong. Switch rapidly between hot and cold to increase the effect.

Social interaction:
Forcing yourself to interact in social situations where you feel uncomfortable will increase your confidence and level of comfort. It can also lead to new relationships and opportunities.

Business assertiveness:
No matter how you earn your living, you could probably benefit from being more assertive in business. The only way I know of to do this is practice. Stand up for yourself where you normally wouldn’t. Challenge someone when they say something incorrect. This does not mean being rude or creating arguments. Confident, polite assertiveness works.

Romantic relationships:
See someone you’re interested in? Go talk to them. The worst that can happen is an epically catastrophic rejection, which gives you something funny to talk about. That and increased confidence in your abilities next time

Creative pursuits:
Many people say they want to be creative. Then they go home and binge watch TV episodes on Netflix while drinking red wine. Or maybe they write, draw, paint, take photos, or do something else, but never share their work. Fear of rejection is powerful, but keeping your work to yourself also guarantees that nobody else will ever love it.

Fasting:
When was the last time you skipped a meal? Two? Fasted for a day or more? Do you think you would die if you stopped snacking all day? Give some kind of fasting a try. There is a lot of information online about specific techniques, but don’t over-complicate it. I promise you won’t starve to death.

Carbohydrates and sugars:
Refined sugar and carbohydrates are addictive drugs. Cut them out completely for a few days and see for yourself. I probably should have put this one before fasting because fasting while addicted to sugar is very, very difficult. Break the addiction and it becomes a lot more possible.

Notifications and information:
How many times have you checked your phone while reading this? Last time you were at a restaurant or bar, how many times did you pull out your phone to “look something up”? Turn off most notifications. Turn it off or put it on airplane mode when you’re working on something important. Leave it in your pocket when you’re talking to someone. Leave it at home sometimes. And for the sake of everyone else in your city, put it somewhere you can’t reach it when you’re driving.

Silence:
Do things without distraction. Drive with the radio off. Exercise without music. Eat dinner without the TV on. Take a walk without headphones and without looking at your phone. Don’t pull out anything electronic when you’re waiting in line at a store. Sit at a red light and just look out the window. You might even start to think.

Compulsive behaviors:
Don’t drink on a day you normally would. If you smoke or have any other addictions, break them. Quit going to fast food restaurants and cook your own meals. Shopping is not a form of entertainment. The more difficult these things are, the more valuable it will be.

News:
Humans have a need to understand the world and know what is going on. This has been corrupted by the modern news media. Greed, fear, bad things happening to celebrities, and lots of ads. A lot of noise and very little signal. Stay informed about the world if you must, but cut out the junk news consumption.

Those are just a few examples. What is the point of all this discomfort? It sounds uncomfortable! The point is to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. All growth in life comes from some kind of discomfort, so by avoiding it you are avoiding improvement. The benefit of this training is on your own mind, confidence, and willpower.

**Update 7–19–2017**

Wow! Amazing response on this post! I’ve been getting back into Quora, and writing lately. Be sure to check out my blog here and sign up for updates. I’m doing a lot of uncomfortable things and really taking my life to the next level.

Thanks everyone!