The Art of Keeping Yourself Uncomfortable and Hungry

Working from a coffee shop... or watching the dogs play while it's still light out and blogging from an iPhone... These are some of the things I wanted to try while I found myself some some free time. As some of my close friends know, last week I was discharged from my day job on the claim that I had violated the company's confidential information agreement. While I can confidently say that I didn't break the rules while I was employed, I can see why my day job would assume I did, and why it was necessary to pre-release me given the limited facts and the eventual outcome. In the business world, employees are replaceable, large clients; not so much.

While I'm an advocate of full disclosure, evident by the existence of this blog; I'm not sure how much I can talk about this particular incident just yet. If in time, this turns out to be what I hope it is, then things should smooth itself out. However, if it turns out to be something more serious; then I'm sure there will be a lot of learnings to be dished out here once it's all over. Either way, I'm sure you guys will benefit from from my choices so at least the information is helping someone.

So moving on... what's the art of keeping yourself uncomfortable and hungry and why would anyone want to do that?

Keeping yourself uncomfortable is basically the serial entrepreneurs' motto for life because it drives us to achieve greater things. This is the reason why seasoned CEO's leave cushy jobs to join startups and why new and innovative companies succeed where stagnant companies fail. The same can be observed in people. Back in college, it seemed like the individuals who never wanted to learn or do anything hard were the ones who had everything they need including money, security, trust funds, etc. These people simply were too comfortable in their lives to have cause and it's a shame... cause some of them were smart.

I would imagine this "uncomfortable" startup advice would be on the same level as the "raise money from the 3F's" in that it's easy to comprehend, but it takes guts to execute; and quite honestly it doesn't guarantee fortune or success. In fact, the only sure things are that you will be uncomfortable and hungry.

So here it is: Whether you're already successful or not, you should always force yourself to take the less traveled route so you don't lose that hunger of wanting more. Without that desire, you'll eventually lose your edge and you'll stop wanting - which is bad if you're trying to be cutting edge.

For example, if you're goal isn't to be a startup and you actually like your job; performance based bonuses are going to be your main driver. Most sales aggressive companies have already figured this out and they use that technique to challenge and reward their star performers. (Give them what they need to live survive on, but make them earn the rest.)

So how does this work for an individual?

It's always hard to convince someone to leave a position that they've grown accustomed to take on something new. I'm sure this is why so many recruiters in the Atlanta area are having a terrible time trying to get people to jump ships even for the exact same position. After all, after months or years of training, you should be great at what you do and you are likely to be able to run your routine w/o too much effort even if the position is a hard one. However, on the flip side, the fear of something new can also be paralyzing and in turn, push away greater, better opportunities. This is where making yourself uncomfortable can help.

The best analogy I can come up with is a tooth ache (or any kind of body ache). If the pain is mild, you do what you can to patch it. What lies out there is a solution to completely stop the pain, but honestly, you're just not that uncomfortable enough to take action because it won't kill ya. On the other hand, if the pain is severe and you're faced with the possibly losing a tooth or a limb, suddenly you take charge, find solutions and in your spare time look for backup plans. While this probably isn't the way to approach life on a day-to-day basis, it's important to note that putting yourself in that position often gets you results, whether you like the process or not.

How does being uncomfortable work for startups?

By definition, startups and established brands are two completely different beings. One tries to bring new order while the other tries to maintain their established order. The reason they can even compete is because most startups have what established brands lack, and that's desire. Now, I know you're going to say that giant brands have desire too. Yes, they certainly do... but where startups succeed and where established brands fail are usually in the level of desire in which they have to compete.

It's like saying rich people and poor people both love great deals; and they do! However, the intensity that poor people (or companies) will go to get these deals are way, Way, WAY more extreme than what most rich people (or companies) are willing to do. Let's say both Paris Hilton and Joe Hobo are offered a chance to win a brand new Range Rover, (or for your sake, a brand new rack of web hosting servers.) To win it, the contestant would have to keep their hands on the vehicle for the longest time. Ummm - who do you think will win? Who do you envision got more uncomfortable (and was willing to) in the process?

Yes, this is why disadvantaged companies CAN compete and this is also why being uncomfortable and hungry can help you stay sharp and competitive even if you lack most of the other ingredients.