Humans are designed to seek comfort. We instinctively default to safety, shelter, warmth, extra food, and minimal effort. Discomfort both physical and emotional has fuelled innovation; from the horse and cart to the automobile. Darkness drove us to find light. Hunger drove us to find food and keep it for the rainy days inside our houses. The thought of predators attacking us drove us to find shelter and call it home.
Unfortunately, we quickly default to the routines and comforts and forget how to grow. In May 2024 I led a group of Entrepreneurs from Tanzania for a retreat in Jinja. “Since these are millionaires they love challenges and thrive with discomfort”, I thought to myself. I scheduled a full day for white water rafting on the Nile.
It is the day for the adrenaline-filled activity, I am standing by the banks seven kilometers out of Jinja town in a 200-person village. Besides me is the team of entrepreneurs excited; signing waivers and being briefed. The guides are in high spirits. One of the guides will soon dump me deep into the cold waters of the Nile, a place that’s generally agreed to be one of the deepest, testing, and with the most hostile waves. I’m on edge.
This impending voyage into the rafting adventure is one thing. But I’m also no fan of flying off boats and oblivion of the river bed. Particularly when I am at the mercy of the currents. At this point, one of the Entrepreneurs has a red face from fear. Another wants to be put in a safety boat. It’s about to get “bloody” the waves are at level five. “Chances of the boat overturning are sixty percent”, Campbell the guide informs us. “Do you want to still go ahead with the voyage?”, he asks. We all nod in agreement. I feel the fear but go ahead to do it anyway.
Within seconds the boat is in the air. It’s discomfort at its best. We all “fly” off the boat. We are tossed down stream. This discomfort is both physical and emotional.
The full day voyage ends and we have a couple of things to reflect on:
- Proper prior planning prevents pitifully poor performance: The guides prepared us on how to row the boat, avoid injury, and work as a team. The training was experiential. Because of that, no one drowned to got injured.
- Build confidence through the small wins: We conquered the small falls before the big ones. It gave us experience and confidence to encounter the bigger tides. If you are aiming to build a big career, a small win might be confirmed from an intern to a contract employee. Go ahead and get the small wins. You will need them.
- Build cohesion before adversity: Before we were tossed by the rough waters of the Nile, we had worked on many scenarios. We knew who would be in the lead. And most importantly we worked on staying together before the storm. When the storm hit, everyone who was safe looked around to make sure we were all safe and back on the boat.
Life will throw stuff at you but always make sure that through the crisis you find Comfort.
