The Discomfort Code

When you’re mountaineering the career ladder, it’s the tough bits that teach you the most, says Farrah Storr

- Farrah Storr

When people look back on their careers, they tend to forget the gnarly bits. They put every failure, every total bomb-out and every caustic mess-up along the way in a box, never to be retrieved again. That means that when they’re asked for advice, they tend to give the same clichéd answers: ‘fake it till you make it!’, ‘only do what makes you happy!’ and ‘never look back!’

I followed that advice for years. I walked into rooms pretending I knew what I was doing, only to fall flat on my proverbial when I got caught out. I called time prematurely on far too many jobs because the happiness simply faded away. And rarely, if ever, did I turn around to see both the successes and messes I’d left behind as I moved forward with my career. It was a big mistake.

Because here is what I know to be unequivocally true: it’s the stuff that feels tough which offers the biggest opportunities for growth. It’s those times when you feel like you’re struggling that true change is taking place. It’s those jobs that are characterised by meaningful challenge rather than constant happiness that you will look back on as the ones that made all the difference. And don’t just take my word for it. I’ve interviewed dot-com millionaires, gold medal winning athletes and world-famous performers throughout my career, and they all agree.

So if I were to give real advice to someone, I wouldn’t say fake it till you make it. I certainly wouldn’t say make happiness the defining trait for what makes a great job. And I would never, ever tell you not to look back. The most important thing you can do for your career – and your life – is to step out of your comfort zone and into your discomfort zone. Not sure how? Let me explain…

VALUE YOUR FAILURES AS MUCH AS YOUR SUCCESSES