There is a particular type of discomfort which accompanies personal growth. I say “particular” because it is different than the discomfort that comes from failure, dishonesty or disobedience. It is more like the “good burn” you get from an intense workout than the aches and pains which follow periods of sustained idleness.

Your tolerance for this discomfort marks the limit of your growth potential. Most people leave this world having only actualized a small fraction of their true potential…not because someone else limited them but because at some point they put their personal comfort ahead of their concern to cultivate a wider sphere of service and personal influence.

Some might sell you the comforting notion that you should “do what you like” or “follow your heart,” but I say that you should do what you do because it is the right thing to do – whether or not it is pleasant or to your liking. The addiction to comfort is one of the great drains of human potential and I fear for our future as a race if we fail to get a handle on the widespread abuse of this stupefacient.

You, my friends, can make a difference. You can wean yourself from this narcotic by developing in yourself mens sibi conscia recti, that is, a mind conscious of right. To do this you must look beyond what you would like or what is comforting to you and seek first and foremost what is right and fitting. 

Do that and you will live a life worth living. Do that and you’ll waltz proudly to your grave, rather than slumping toward it in shame and regret.

It’s a simple choice, really!