Seeking discomfort
Hi there,
On a whim in 2013, I took a solo drive to see the Stefen Sagmeister exhibit on happiness.
I sensed it then, but I know it now: that bright yellow art installation was the beacon of my new life. (Doesn’t hurt that it was also the first blog post on Hello Brio.)
I strolled through each part of it, energized by the aesthetic and the poignant messages for each room. At the end, there was an entire wall full of neon lights. First, it screamed Trashy Bar.
But as I stood in front of it to read each segment, I realized the glowing message was so much more.
Actually doing the things I set out to do increases my overall level of satisfaction. Seek discomfort.
This struck me because discomfort was never a thing for me. All my life, opportunities were handed to me on a silver platter. A loving, upper-middle-class family adopted me. I was placed in “gifted” classes and didn’t even have to try to get A’s. I always made friends easily. And as I grew up, I realized I had privileges with my appearance that I neither asked for nor did I mind.
In my twenties, everything I wanted came to me. Admissions at schools. Scholarships. Far-fetched job opportunities. Relationships.
Okay, every once in a while I’d work hard to nail something. But 90% of the time? I skated by.
It wasn’t until things started falling apart when I realized this lazy, entitled mindset wasn’t good.
Faced with a toxic marriage that supplied a cushy and fun life, I left. I stripped myself of my prized belongings to move home. Through logistical minimalism, I discovered my core values, and it proved to be one of the best decisions I ever made.
Faced with an involuntary end of a relationship that came after a year of severe postpartum illness, I re-entered the world as a single mom with a hot new career path.
After blowing my writing test for my dream job—to work with an influencer with several million subscribers—I realized that my cushy writing existence of clichés, minimal edits, surface-level research, passive voice, and floury adverbs wouldn’t bring me into the realm of being a good writer, so I set out to seek discomfort and sign up to sharpen my tools for online content writing.
Do I resent any of these endings or missed opportunities? No. In fact, each of these pushed me to want to be a better version of myself.
In discomfort:
We expand our knowledge (and realize we were stuck in the Dunning-Kruger effect).
We find clarity. We lose clarity.
Best of all, we build better versions ourselves.
Things to read + watch
Would love to know: what’s one habit you’re trying to build, and one habit you’re trying to break? Weigh in here.
Journal prompt
Do the 5 people you spend the most time with feed you or drain you?
Explore your multiple passions
Join me in #TenTopics on Twitter… a great way to explore everything you’re interested in and see what resonates best with your connections.
]Starting tomorrow and in the 10 days that follow, I'll publish 10 atomic essays on different topics to see what sticks and what doesn't. True #ship30for30 form.
— Jenny ✨ (@HeyJennyLee) August 23, 2021
✨ Here's what to expect ✨
Be safe and well 🖤
