Why comfort will ruin your life | Bill Eckstrom | TEDxUniversityofNevada

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Published 2017-01-31
After documenting and researching over 50,000 coaching interactions in the workplace, Bill Eckstrom shares life-altering, personal and professional development ideas through the introduction of the “Growth Rings.” The rings illustrate how dangerous it can be to remain in a state of comfort and how being in discomfort is the only way to sustain growth. You’ll be amazed at the world-changing outcomes discomfort can have on your life and the lives of others.

Bill Eckstrom is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, outdoorsman and father of three. With a passion deeply rooted in growth and development, Bill has always been fascinated by the role a coach has on the performance of individuals and teams. As a result, he founded the EcSell Institute whose sole focus is to educate, track and measure coaching effectiveness for leaders within organizations around the world. This has led to hundreds of keynotes, published articles and e-books created from the research and documentation of coaching interactions and outcomes. You can learn more about the EcSell Institute here: www.ecsellinstitute.com/

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

All Comments (21)
  • @fabiorachid3430
    I think there's a missing ingredient there: purpose . If you're just randomly making yourself uncomfortable, sure, you might grow, but you're likely to give up or go back to a deeper state of order/comfort than you were before. But getting yourself into discomfort because of something that actually matters to you, than you'll push through it. In Nietzsche's words, "He who was a why can bear almost any how". Think of soldiers facing probably death going to battle because they have the high purpose of defending their country, their family and friends. Does most doctors in the middle of the pandemic are out there in total discomfort just because it may bring them growth? No, they are doing it to save lives , the highest person a human being can have. Such high purpose is the only way for them to go risk their lives every day to take care of their patients. My biggest problem with TEDs like these is that they often leave out the details, the nuisance, the complexity of life and of human beings. The TED almost makes it sound like you should be throwing yourself into discomfort at all times, regardless of what, and that it's not too bad if you have breakdowns like his daughter, but it is bad. Growth and discomfort, specially if stimulated by other people, *must be made in a relationship with trust*, otherwise the person might feel bullied and even give up (chaos). Also: you don't have to be in discomfort all the time and in all ranges of your life. It's ok to feel comfortable and safe in some, and it's ok if you are so discomfortable that you had to take a step back, feel comfortable so you can try again. We are each complex and deep so there's no formula and equation that will fit everyone. 5 rings can't even begin to describe everything involved in growth. Put a certain amount of pressure on coal and it will make a diamond, but put too much pressure on the structure of a building and it will fall down. Life is just like that - there is no ready formula for it, each situation and individual require a different, perhaps unique approach. That's why it's hard for me to get into self-help: 99% of the time it lacks or purposely hides the complexity involved in life and in human beings. And I know TED talks aren't meant to last an hour but hey the lecturers could explicitly show that the subject has way more levels and degrees than what is being shown.
  • @armartin0003
    You need order and disorder. Comfort and discomfort. Too much of either is a bad thing.
  • My favorite quote ever is from a book called The Prophet. "The lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, then walks grinning in the funeral."
  • @navrajvir
    I've built this new habit of reading comments after watching every video on YouTube because I get amazed by the creativity and humour people around the globe pour into these comments.
  • "The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness." — Josef Ratzinger
  • @daveclow74
    I quit my safe job of 11 years, 1 week after getting the keys to our new house and whilst my wife was 5 months pregnant. That was uncomfortable, I questioned my own sanity many times. I left the safety zone to start my own business and it was the best thing I've ever done, a pivatol point in our lives. Ask yourself how safe your 'safe job' is when your boss can end it all tomorrow....
  • @fearlessandfar
    Hit the gym hard, eat the chili sauce, say hi to new people, and as Michael said, take cold shower. You can find discomfort in everyday. Powering through it changes your life. Great talk Bill Eckstrom. I'll watch this again!
  • @AS-lu7gm
    i'm watching this video while comfortably laying in bed and eating some chips
  • Well thank God I was born with General Anxiety Disorder & hypochondria. Haven't been comfortable once in 23 years ...
  • @voynich7119
    Lately I have been feeling like the "comfortable life", meaning sitting at home playing video games, watching YouTube, eating whatever I feel like at the moment, etc. has made me actually sad. I hate it. I hate standing still. It's the absolute worst. I need need noise, I need unpredictability, I need stuff happening. I need to just yeet myself out of my confort zone to be actually comfortable in my life.
  • @c-fin
    Wow. This really set things straight for me. We can only reach our full potential by engaging in discomfort. I'm 18 and this is what I needed to hear before entering the world as an adult.
  • @mike4ty4
    Discomfort vs comfort -- the real trick is not so much which one as how you react to them. Discomfort can either be reacted to as a motivator, or you can become fearful and withdraw into depression, timidity, or neuroticism. Comfort can either be reacted to with complacency, or you can take charge of the happiness it provides to be productive with a clear head and peace.
  • @ethanbrunt7755
    The greatest explanation of this quote: “get comfortable being uncomfortable”
  • @echidnuttt9326
    I'm really amazed by how people assume that all We want is success, money, etc. Some people would rather go fishing on a Sunday than have meetings.
  • “You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
  • Watching this during my break while I'm about to get fired. Feels good!!!
  • @Machin33lf
    “Comfort will ruin ur life” Mattress company’s: -_-
  • @ZaWrldo
    One of my favorite Youtubers tweeted this and it hit me. "There is no comfort in growth and there is no growth in comfort"