[munificent]

It's such an easy trap to fall into because it doesn't feel like avoidance out of fear, but it almost certainly is.

One of my mantras lately has been, "If it doesn't make me at least a little uncomfortable, I'm probably avoiding something."

[oliverbennett]

Successful people (judged by their own metrics of success) are generally willing to make short term sacrifices for long term gains.

My reluctance / fear / discomfort often isn’t even recognisable to myself for a while. If and when I do act on it, it quickly subsides and I can do stuff I that’s in some sense still uncomfortable, but that I seem to genuinely enjoy even in the moment - making things, experiencing novelty, being challenged etc. And yet my brain hasn’t put that together.

I sometimes set a repeating personal alarm* that just asks ‘are you doing what you’re meant to be doing?’. I’ll try framing some of how I answer that around discomfort / sacrifice from now on.

*I usually use it when talking with people who meander/derail conversations as much as I do, and we recognise it’s a problem.