Most of us are willing to get uncomfortable in pursuit of things that are important to us, whether it’s looking for a romantic partner, asking for a promotion, telling a story at a Moth StorySLAM or learning how to paddleboard.
Most of us also know the difference between physical pain that signifies injury or risk of injury and the discomfort of using muscles in a more vigorous way. We can categorize in our minds that the pain in our shoulder is the dull ache of soreness from a particularly vigorous game of basketball and not the sharp stab of a torn rotator cuff.
But how effectively do we differentiate between types of discomfort at work or in our career? Last week, I talked about how the pain of chronic dysfunction or abusive treatment at work can impact our perception.
What if it it’s not pain, but discomfort? Can we accurately assess what is the work equivalent of the discomfort of sore muscles you’re using to build a new skill or greater strength and what is actually damaging?
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