Being Comfortable When You're Uncomfortable

Whether you are transitioning to a new role, navigating an unfamiliar environment, or doing something for the first time, facing uncomfortable or challenging situations will always be a part of your career, and what you learn out of it can be the key to your professional and personal growth.

During our panel, Nidhi Trivedi (Zendesk) and Yezi Peng (Pendo.io), shared practical insights for finding confidence and comfort in uncomfortable situations.

Own your discomfort.

Acknowledging that you're in a new or slightly nerve-wracking situation paradoxically shows your confidence and professional maturity. Being self-aware and being able to lean into your discomfort can give you a competitive advantage. Where others may pretend they have done something before and try to “figure it out”, owning up to your discomfort shows a level of competency that not many have.

It'll get easier.

Every scenario is an opportunity to learn. By knowing that and settling into your discomfort, you'll come out stronger on the other side and more prepared to tackle that scenario again in your career. Whether we like it or not, most things aren’t a one-and-done deal - you’ll have to do that same thing or use similar skills in another way down the road.

Operate at the edge of your comfort zone.

Throughout your career, you ebb and flow between feeling extremely challenged and being content to do your job well. If you're not pushing yourself in some way, you're probably complacent and not growing. But if you’re pushing yourself too much, you’ll burn out, so you need to find the balance that works best for you.

While there is no formula or clear path for dealing with uncomfortable situations, learning to own your discomfort and learn the best ways for you as an individual to lean into will always give you the opportunity to learn from the adversity and uncertainty.

Want to learn more? You can stream the full event recording here.

Thank you to all of the WISE partners for making this event possible and our panelists for sharing their time and advice.