4 of 6: The Heart of Growth: Willingness – Embracing Discomfort

Comfort zones are prisons disguised as havens.

Embracing discomfort can happen at any stage, but it is most effective when you are self-aware and your heart rests in humility. As we discussed previously, humility is a modest view with an openness of growth and acknowledging your limitation. It is not self-deprecation but a balanced self-awareness—recognizing strengths while accepting the unknown and uncontrollable.

Listen, I know we have all had moments where we passively walked through life, going through the motions and avoiding what felt uncomfortable. However, when we take hold of our passive tendencies and face them head-on, we step out of passive compliance. What we will discover is an intentional behavior where we start choosing to act, accept, or engage—even when it feels difficult or uncertain! That, my friends, is what we call Willingness.

Willingness is the mindset that empowers you to lean into challenges, embrace growth, and sit with discomfort, knowing that each step forward brings you closer to becoming who you are meant to be.

Discomfort Unlocks Your True Purpose

As we discussed, humility demands conviction, vulnerability, and faith— which are the pieces of being self-aware. On the other hand, without self-awareness, we are searching for answers with a broken compass—feeling disoriented, aimless, floundering, and consumed by the despair of uncertainty. Although that is not a path most would want to follow, there is always a way to find your direction. Fortunately, there is! When our hearts embrace humility and step into the unknown and uncontrollable, we gain a prescription for navigating discomfort. It is important to note that without humility, discomfort often feels like a threat—a reminder of where we fall short. Yet with humility, discomfort transforms into something meaningful. It ceases to be a sign of inadequacy and becomes evidence that we are exactly where we need to be.

Think of any meaningful success or breakthrough: a promotion, a healthier relationship, or a personal milestone. These rarely come from a place of ease. They are forged through moments when we stretched beyond our limits, made mistakes, reflected, and adjusted. Humility allows us to view those mistakes as part of the process, not as evidence of unworthiness. It encourages us to embrace the unknown and admit, “I do not know” or “I am not there yet,” without fear. Therefore, humility gives us permission to fail, seeing failure not as defeat, but as an essential part of the journey toward growth.

The grace that we just created, provides us the freedom to embrace positive self-talk: "This may feel difficult, but I am on the right path."

Willingness in Action

Let's consider the story of Thomas Edison. It is well-known that he failed thousands of times while trying to create the light bulb. Yet what stands out most is how he framed those failures—not as defeats, but as lessons. When asked about his repeated setbacks, he famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

What made this mindset possible was willingness—Edison’s ability to embrace discomfort and keep going when most would have given up. His humility allowed him to recognize his mistakes, adapt, and view setbacks as steps toward success. Finally, having faith in the process carried him forward, even when he could not see the final outcome.

The crazy thing about discomfort is that it reveals blind spots, challenges long-held beliefs, and pushes us to confront truths we would rather avoid. For example, recognizing when we have outgrown people, places, or habits that once felt essential or comfortable. However, this is where real growth begins—when we are willing to sit in the tension between the familiar and the unknown, knowing that the comfort we cling to may be holding us back.

Do not be mistaken, willingness is an act of faith as well —faith in our personal capability, faith in the process, and faith in the unsaid surrender that not everything is within our control. Faith, in this moment, is the quiet acceptance that we do not need to see the entire path to believe in where it is leading. For many, it is the spiritual understanding that deepens as we grow, allowing us to release what no longer serves us and trust in what lies ahead.

Another powerful testimony can be told through the life of Martin Luther King Jr. He believed that you do not need to see the entire solution or outcome to begin working toward change. In the fight for racial equality, where opposition was constant and discomfort was unavoidable, he embraced the challenges that came with uncertainty. He encouraged people to trust that small, faithful actions would eventually lead to a larger, transformative result. MLK’s message emphasized that delaying action until everything is clear only hinders progress. Instead, he urged stepping forward despite ambiguity, recognizing that waiting for perfect conditions would only stall change.

As a preacher, MLK tied this belief to spiritual faith, trusting that God’s plan would unfold in due time, even if the immediate path was obscured. Even when he was faced with threats, imprisonment, and overwhelming resistance, he demonstrated that taking the first step—no matter how unclear the future—was essential. As he believed, the path would be revealed through continued effort and faith, and I could only assume that he was embodying the words from John 13:7: "You do not realize now what I am doing, but you will understand later." Biblical words that exemplified a true testament to serving others with humility and love—which then later led to a more powerful message that changed life as we know it.

The example of Thomas Edison and Martin Luther King Jr emphasize is that willingness requires courage to face the unknown and step outside your comfort zone. Just as MLK and those who followed him did when fighting for civil rights or when Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times. It calls for humility to admit when change is necessary or when you do not have all the answers — MLK demonstrated through his faith in a process larger than himself and Edison with learning from his mistakes.

Faith, whether placed in the process, for a greater goal, or for your own ability to adapt and grow— transforms uncertainty and discomfort into stepping stones on the path to change. Although from different realms of influence, Thomas Edison and Martin Luther King Jr. were both examples of showing willingness in the midst of embracing discomfort, proving that through faith, courage, and humility, even the most challenging paths can lead to transformation.

Ask yourself: What is your faith rooted in? How do you react when discomfort arises? Do you have the willingness to step beyond pride and be humble enough to persevere?

In the end, we learned that willingness is fueled by courage, humility and faith. Naturally willingness will transform discomfort from something we avoid into a tool for becoming exactly who we are meant to be.

Remember that discomfort is not a roadblock—it is the passage through which growth and transformation are achieved. Humility allows us to view discomfort not as a threat, but as a guide, signaling that we are moving in the right direction. When humility and courage ground our willingness, we find the strength to take action, even when the path ahead is uncertain.

How Do We Nurture This Willingness When Discomfort Arises?

1. Reframe discomfort: Instead of viewing it as something negative, see it as proof that you are growing. No great leader, athlete, or creator has ever achieved excellence without experiencing pain or failure.

2. Stay grounded in your 'why': Willingness becomes more manageable when we focus on the purpose behind it. Why are you pushing through this? What is on the other side of this difficulty that makes it worth enduring?

3. Practice self-compassion: Willingness does not mean you have to be perfect. It simply means showing up, even when it is hard. Celebrate progress over perfection.

4. Find joy in the struggle: There is something beautiful about the messy, chaotic middle of a transformation. Humility lets us find gratitude, not just in the outcomes but in the process itself.

discover their capacity for greater things.