Our team works remotely.

For some, that means having the flexibility to move a few hundred miles away and live at the beach.

For others, it means working from the kitchen table and staying in the same old place.

For one of our team members, our operations guy, it means working from all over the world.

Where He’s Been

Over a year ago, he started by leaving Raleigh and heading to South America. He worked from Buenos Aires for three months with side trips to Chile and Uruguay.

Then he headed off to Thailand and worked in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. He spent some time in Kuala Lumpur as well. Recently, he spent several months in New York, then Alaska, and just left Barcelona after about three months.

Today, he’s in Tunis in North Africa, having traveled to Sfax and Sharqi Island.

What He’s Learned

When he left Raleigh for South America, he was uncomfortable with a capital “U.” He was stepping out of his comfort zone—big time.

Things started off poorly, and three days after arriving in Buenos Aires, he found himself in a hospital with a broken tibia. He learned that playing soccer with Argentinians is risky.

He healed and moved on. He got more comfortable.

Over the past year, his comfort level has increased, and he has reached the point where it takes something big to faze him.

He arrived in Tunisia as the mob attacked the U.S. embassy. He hopped a train out of town and spent the next few days away from the capital. A few days later, when the excitement died down, he returned to the city, where he remains now.

He has learned to be comfortable being uncomfortable. He rolls with it. Uncomfortable has become normal for him.

I’ve Been Uncomfortable Too

I remember reaching the point where I felt comfortable in the courtroom. Up to that point, I was obsessed with what I was going to say and when I was going to say it. I prepared like a crazy person. I had every word planned out. No matter what happened, I stuck to my plan. Deviating from the plan made me more uncomfortable.

Eventually, through experience, I reached a point where I started to relax. It was amazing. Suddenly, I could think while talking. I was able to respond and react to the unexpected things that happened. It was freeing and exhilarating, and it allowed me to perform at a much higher level.

That’s what’s happening to our guy in Tunis.

• Flight gets canceled: reschedule.
• Hotel is sold out: walk next door.
• Embassy gets attacked: take the train out of town.

How You Can Learn from This

We grow when we’re uncomfortable. We feel stress, and we adapt.

• We’re uncomfortable picking a practice area.
• We’re uncomfortable signing a lease on an office.
• We’re uncomfortable hiring our first employee.
• We’re uncomfortable calling referral sources about lunch.
• We’re uncomfortable during lunch.
• We’re uncomfortable trying a new marketing approach.
• We’re uncomfortable taking on a type of case we haven’t handled before.

Being uncomfortable is good. It’s when you know you’re growing.

Get comfortable being uncomfortable.