If it doesn’t suck, we don’t do it. – Navy Seal motto
As you might remember in my last post… I’ve been struggling to mentally adjust to a new position I’ve taken. It’s a golden opportunity and I’m thrilled to be there.
At the same time. I sometimes feel totally incompetent. It’s not that I’m not prepared either. I already have more training in the therapy approach I use than most people, and from world class trainers. It’s just that I had not yet used it with clients whose difficulties, on the surface at least, were mostly connected to physical difficulties (e.g., seizures, fainting spells, numbness, limb weakness, migraines, and pain).
I was telling one of my best friends about my discomfort and feeling incompetent. His reply was “That’s awesome!” Right. Awesome. I had forgotten that he’s really in a similar position. In the last six months he took on a position as a director in a large company. He said “Right now I’m floating, and I’m kind of forced to forge my own identity and figure out how I can contribute to the company’s goals with very little direction. I figure I’ll feel incompetent for the next couple of years in this position. Plus, I imagine I’ll feel incompetent in the next position I get, because I’m not stopping here. I mean really, if you don’t feel uncomfortable, you’re not growing.”
What a timely reminder of a great bit of wisdom. It’s not a new thought, but it’s a valuable one, and the more you can wrap your head around it, the more exciting and more gratifying you can make your life. As if on cue, I also stumbled across a great article about life with a Navy Seal, and the motto they seem to live by.
So for me, right now, I’m really out of my comfort zone professionally. I’ll probably stick to one domain at a time as I believe we also need a sense of mastery in at least some elements of our lives… but I also think it’s important to keep switching it up, so maybe when I start to feel competent in my work again I’ll find something in my personal life to get uncomfortable about. How about you?
Where are you pushing yourself out of your comfort zone? If you take a good look and find that everything seems on autopilot, then maybe its time to find a way to feel incompetent!