There are things on my calendar I start dreading days in advance.
Social gatherings where I barely know anyone.
First dates that could become painfully awkward.
Meetings that probably could’ve been emails.
My natural instinct is to mentally live through the entire thing before it even happens. I imagine every awkward silence, every uncomfortable conversation, every possible escape route.
Then I arrive exhausted from an event that hasn’t occurred yet.
Very useful.
Lately, I’ve been trying something different.
Instead of thinking, I really don’t want to do this, I think:
Well…this should be interesting.
That’s it.
I’m not “embracing discomfort.” I’m not “stepping outside my comfort zone.” I’m not walking into the room as the CEO of Personal Growth.
I’m just curious about what’s going to happen.
Maybe the gathering will suck.
Maybe the date will be terrible.
Maybe the meeting will be unbearable.
But something will happen. I’ll meet someone, notice something, learn something, or at minimum leave with a story.
Comfort rarely gives you much of a story.
Nobody sits down with their friends and says, “You guys are not going to believe this. Everything went exactly as expected and I experienced nothing of note whatsoever.”
The interesting parts usually begin when something gets weird.
Obviously, I’m not suggesting we deliberately make our lives miserable. I’m not signing up for pain recreationally.
But when something uncomfortable is already on the calendar, dreading it twice seems like a waste.
So I try to walk in curious instead of guarded.
Not fearless. Not transformed.
Just wondering what’s about to happen, and thinking that at least something about it should be interesting.