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Published on:

4th Dec 2018

39: Uncomfortable is OK with Chris Desmond

We often consider the opposite of pain to be pleasure, but in reality it’s comfort – and that desire for comfort keeps many people stuck in negative or less than ideal professional situations. Today we’re joined by Chris Desmond who shows us, with a blend of physiological and psychological insight, that being uncomfortable is not only OK, but actually leads to growth and happiness.

 

Teaser: 


My Guest: Chris Desmond 

Chris has a fascination with how people get out of their comfort zones. He has published over 150 episodes of the “Uncomfortable is OK” podcast where he interviews individuals about how they work through challenges and the discomfort associated with them. He is the director of Uncomfortable Media which aims to make it easier for people to get out of their comfort zones through conversation, community, and challenge.

Chris graduated with a degree in physiotherapy (physical therapist) from the University of Otago in 2006. He has worked as a physiotherapist for 12 years with a variety of clients, including teams competing on the national and international level. Along the way he has picked up a Post Graduate Certificate in Rehabilitation, and a Masters of Management in Enterprise Development. The skills he has in assisting his clients to work through the physical pain of injury recovery have proven extremely valuable in assisting his work with getting people out of their comfort zones.

 

Pivotal Moments:

As a kid, wanted to be a professional sportsman for All Blacks, the most successful sports team in the world.
Realized that wasn’t going to happen but still wanted to be involved in sports so decided to get a degree in physiotherapy.
Moved out to Wellington, New Zealand and got his first job as a physiotherapist in a state-funded hospital.
In his mid-20s felt bored and stagnated because he wasn’t pushing himself or stepping out of his comfort zone.
Shook himself out of cruise control and started challenging himself both physically – by running a marathon – and in business – by volunteering for extra tasks.
Went backpacking around South America for three months with his girlfriend.
Came back and got job as a physical therapist in a private rehabilitation company in Auckland where he was challenged to push himself.
Went back to studying, getting his Masters of Management in Enterprise Development while working full time.
In 2008, started his podcast show, Uncomfortable is OK, about challenge and stepping out of the comfort zone.
Opened his brand new business, Uncomfortable Media in August of 2018, coaching people to get out of their comfort zones.

 

The Advice:

We have so many gadgets to make our lives comfortable, but they are not making us any happier. Challenge is what brings happiness and those gadgets are taking away all the challenge by making our lives easier. Use gadgets to free up time so that you can give your all to the things that really are challenging.

By challenging yourself in any single area of your life, you are transferring yourself from a comfort zone to a challenge zone and you can then start moving in all the other areas of life.

If you want to change, start slowly and start with something that is easy. Even a small, easy change gets you into a zone of movement and then you can build up momentum.

A method to effective change is to build up a habit. Going to the gym for five minutes is not going to turn you into a body builder, but if you do it every day for a month or two, you get into the habit and can then slowly build up to significant change.

 

The Struggle:

Chris opened his brand new business, Uncomfortable Media, in August of this year, 2018. His business is still a newborn and Chris is trying to figure out what exactly it will look like when it grows. He is currently thriving on the excitement and the opportunity that he is presented with, but he is finding it difficult to visualize what products and services he can offer to make his company unique and take him to where he really wants to be.

 

The Breakthrough:

Chris has two areas of expertise: physiotherapy and getting people out of their comfort zone. He can synergize those two aspects by offering a blend of physical, emotional and mental rehabilitation for people who need a change in their lives. Taking people out of their comfort zones coupled with the physical therapy and rehabilitation will give a uniqueness to his company and give him a clear direction that maximizes and synergizes his current expertise.

 

Quotes:

Uncomfortable is ok.
Hard does not equal bad. – Estie’s Quote

 

Resources and Links:


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About the Podcast

Create Your Own Salary (previously Business Breakthrough)
Humanizing business and businessifying humans.
We're humanizing business, and businessifying humans.

Join us as successful business owners talk about the PIVOTAL MOMENTS that got them to where they are AND what they still CURRENTLY STRUGGLE WITH.



My dream always was, and still is, to help small business owners live their dreams. I've noticed that ALL BUSINESS OWNERS STRUGGLE SOMEWHERE. Even those that look so shiny and perfect on the outside are hurting somewhere on the inside.

Many of the podcasts out there feature rags-to-riches success stories with the promise that you can do it too! Ever felt that you really can't?

That's why I've started the Business Breakthrough Podcast, FEATURING STORIES YOU CAN RELATE TO, SHARING STRUGGLES YOU CAN LEARN FROM. The show features business owners- from those just starting out to the super successful - and in addition to exploring previous TRANSFORMATIONAL BUSINESS MOMENTS, together we reach a Business Breakthrough live on air.

About your host

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Estie Starr

Estie Starr is an award-winning business consultant, exceptional marketing strategist, avid speaker, and founder of Strand Consulting, a multinational business consultancy that’s focused on helping small business owners scale their businesses to make big profits. She believes very strongly that people can build professional and profitable businesses doing what they love, and she’s here to guide them so they can bring their vision to life with a lot more ease.