A Bit of Discomfort
"Always go a little further into the water than you feel you're capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth."
David Bowie has my favorite life advice. In an interview, he said to seek discomfort because when you are a bit out of your depths that’s when you are in the right place to do something exciting. In theory, this sounds great. In practice, it’s much more intense.
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door.”
In the working world, I can feel like I am a hobbit in the Shire. In the same way Sam warned Frodo of the dangers beyond the Shire, many people warned me of the risks of taking a chance with my career.
Over the past few months, I was exploring the idea of leaving my data job to study UX Design. This got me and others nervous. I had a lot of doubts and hesitations. Lots of people told me to reconsider. Jobs offer comfort and security. I did the math, though, and found that I could safely try this. Still, I was nervous.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Many studies show that people seek comfort and stability. If things are stable, why take on risk? It can seem irrational, but it isn’t.
Jeff Bezos framed it as a “regret minimization framework”. The equation can be stated as “When I am 80, will I regret not doing this?”
A similar concept is foundational to Dr. Shoma Morita’s school of therapy. Morita proposed that human motivation is influenced by two opposing drives; a desire to live fully (self-actualize), and a desire to maintain security and comfort.
There are some hidden costs to comfort. There are upsides to taking a risk and doing something new.
I was ready to take one of these risks myself. And so last week, I left my job to study UX Design. I am pretty excited. But feel a bit of discomfort.
Cheers, Ben
Thank you for reading my first biweekly newsletter. Stoked to keep sharing with you all!
This newsletter is sponsored by → Oco Crew
Bonus link: Great advice on a career change. → Advice for making career changes