Learning How to Embrace Discomfort
My favorite Youtube channel Yes Theory lives by the motto “Seek Discomfort”. Their videos, which range from asking strangers to get matching tattoos with them to helping strangers live out their ideal last 24 hours, have inspired me to be more spontaneous and say “yes” to opportunities even if they scare me. Although I did want the internship I am currently at, it required me to step out of my comfort zone. Originally, I had planned on getting an internship back home in Southern California, so that I could live at home. All my summers up to now have been spent at home for the majority. Accepting this internship meant that I would be living by myself in Boston and also traveling all over the US and Canada.
Going into my internship I had only thought about the positives of being paid to travel to all these places I had never visited before. I had no idea what to expect in terms of the work we would be doing when traveling except that we would be helping to set up the event. I soon learned that it would be far from glamorous. My first event was in Kitchener, ON and the weather was far from ideal. During the first few days, despite it raining heavily, we pushed through and began set up. Setting up was more physically demanding than I could’ve imagined and by the end of each day I was left feeling exhausted. After a week of laborious setup, I was left in charge of the merchandise tent on race day. We ended up being on site from 6 am to 8 pm and my body had never been as exhausted.
I am currently on the plane to Portland, Oregon for our next event. I now have a better idea of what to expect and am slowly learning to embrace the discomfort, both physical and mental that comes with traveling, setting up, and running each event.