The REAL Problem Silently Holding You Back

YouTube Version (If You'd Rather Watch 👉) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XutC_MXy80Q

We’ve got a problem.

And unfortunately, it’s something that many of us don’t see as a problem at all.

That’s scary.

In fact, we willingly embrace this problem every single day.

We crave it.

And yet, it can be toxic for our health and wholeness.

It can keep us from realizing our full potential.

It can rob us of our future.

That’s why it’s silently killing us.

But here’s the thing.

If you can attack this problem head-on, you'll be able to unlock an entirely new level of personal formation.

You'll see an incredible transformation in your physical, mental, and spiritual health.

You’ll see growth in your career, your relationships, heck, even your finances.

Yeah, it’s that big of a problem.

Fix it, and so many things fall into place.

You may find that this one problem is what’s been keeping you stuck this whole time.

And let me tell you something: this is particularly important for all leaders or emerging leaders.

That is, after all, what this community is all about.

If you’re new to the channel, I want to say a big welcome.

I’m Zach!

I’ve been a leader in the social sector for many years.

After finishing graduate school, I decided to really lean into studying leadership, which is why I started this channel: to be a student of leadership and, hopefully, serve great people like you along the way.

Every week, I release new content designed with you in mind.

Thank you so much for being an active part of this community!

Alright, enough on that!

So... What is this big problem we’re talking about?!

That’s obviously why you’re here, so let’s get right to it.

Here’s the problem we need to talk about.

And you’re probably not going to believe me at first…

But here you go… Ready?

Comfort.

Comfort is the problem.

Yeah, I know…

That’s probably not what you wanted to hear.

I get it.

I didn’t want to hear it either.

But here’s the thing.

We have an obsession with comfort.

We do.

And unfortunately, it’s holding us back.

Look, we talk a lot about building resilience on this channel.

I believe that pain and suffering are just part of life, and you have to learn how to embrace them.

But it was this book right here (The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter) that really got me thinking on a more practical level.

I don’t agree with everything in this book, but man… It really challenged my thinking.

I want to read you a section that pretty much sums up the premise of the book.

It plays into what we’re going to talk about today.

“I awoke in a soft bed in a temperature-controlled home. I commuted to work in a pickup with all the conveniences of a luxury sedan. I killed any semblance of boredom with my smartphone. I sat in an ergonomic desk chair staring at a screen all day, working with my mind and not my body. When I arrived home from work, I filled my face with no-effort, highly caloric foods that came from Lord knows where. Then I plopped down on my overstuffed sofa to binge on television streamed down from outer space. I rarely, if ever, felt the sensation of discomfort. The most physically uncomfortable thing I did, exercise, was executed inside an air-conditioned building as I watched cable news channels that are increasingly bent on confirming my worldview rather than challenging it. I wouldn't run outside unless the conditions were, well, comfortable. Neither too hot, too cold, nor too wet. What could cleansing myself of all these other comforts do for me?”

He then goes on to present a highly convincing body of evidence suggesting that our pursuit of comfort is, in fact, killing us.

He calls it the “Comfort Crisis.”

His prescription is to embrace discomfort in order to reclaim our health and wholeness.

And yes, I think I agree with him.

We have a comfort crisis, and it’s killing us.

Many of us need to have a major mindset shift.

Think about all of the amenities you have access to today (e.g., cars, computers, televisions, climate control, smart devices; the list is endless).

All of these things are, historically speaking, brand new in the grand scheme of humanity.

We’re talking roughly 100 years or less.

Some people suggest that we live in tough times.

I’m not so sure.

In many ways, we’re living in comfortable times.

Most people today rarely step outside of their comfort zone, living safe, under-challenged lives.

But research shows that experiencing discomfort can be precisely what protects us from physical and psychological problems.

Life span might be on the rise, but health span is in decline.

As Easter reflects:

“We don't have to deal with discomforts like working for our food, moving hard and heavy each day, feeling deep hunger, and being exposed to the elements. But we do have to deal with the side effects of our comfort: long-term physical and mental health problems.”

And there’s another interesting dynamic to all of this, which is something called “problem creep.”

You’d think that with more comfort (aka fewer problems), we’d become more satisfied.

But that’s not the case.

We’ve just lowered our threshold for what we consider a problem.

“First-world” problems, as some would say.

Others call it being “soft.”

We rarely experience discomforts like boredom, hunger, or physical exertion, and we’re just now waking up to the consequences.

Our lack of boredom is actually creating enormous mental fatigue and killing our creativity.

Our rejection of hunger has led us to have constant access to food and has led to higher rates of obesity, heart disease, and type-2 diabetes.

Our lives have become increasingly inactive, which, in turn, contributes to both our physical and mental health issues.

The U.S. Depression rate has remained historically high at over 18% since 2024.

The American Psychiatric Association’s annual mental health polls show that U.S. adults are feeling increasingly anxious.

You see, our pursuit of comfort isn’t innocent.

It’s making us weaker, sicker, and more hopeless.

That’s a problem.

So, what do we do about it?

Well, we need to stop avoiding discomfort like it’s the plague.

We need a mindset shift.

As a man of faith, I find this concept deeply spiritual.

This is a theme we see repeatedly in the Bible.

Here’s just a sampling,

First, in the book of Romans, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope…” (Romans 5:3-5, NLT)

In the book of James, “When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

Finally, in the book of John, it says, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NLT)

This is the problem with trying to chase a comfortable life.

It goes against the fabric of reality.

In order for your strength to grow, you first have to break everything down.

We live in a broken world, and that comes with hardship.

Instead of seeing that as a negative, you can choose to let it strengthen you.

Now, you may not agree with my Christian worldview or that there might be a spiritual dynamic to this issue.

That’s okay, I’m still your friend, but I think we can at least look at the research and agree that we can’t pursue comfortable lives and then complain that we aren’t where we want to be in life.

Comfort doesn’t build strength; it builds weakness.

We need to learn how look at adversity and think… Opportunity.

Opportunity to grow.

Opportunity to build resilience.

Opportunity to increase capacity.

Opportunity to build character.

Opportunity for great joy.

Now, I want to apply this entire concept to leadership for a moment.

That is, after all, what this channel is about and why many of you are here.

One of my mentors once said that leadership should never be comfortable if you’re doing it right.

The life of a leader is a life of discomfort.

How encouraging, right?

But it’s true.

Choosing to be a leader is choosing to do the uncomfortable things that most people aren’t wanting or willing to do.

Scholars who have studied the development of leaders have situated resilience at the heart of potential leadership growth.

Resilience is the ability to sustain ambition in the face of adversity.

If you’re looking for a great book on this, I highly suggest this one (“Leadership in Turbulent Times” by Doris Kearns Goodwin).

You can also check out my leadership resource list at the bottom of this page; there are a lot of other great resources on this topic.

Bottom line: Leaders don’t retreat from discomfort; they embrace it.

And when you do this, you become a great leader.

Well, here’s our homework.

Do something uncomfortable.

For me, I’m going to pick up rucking.

Go look it up.

Apparently, it’s really uncomfortable.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Let me know what you end up doing in the comments!

As always, keep fighting the good fight!

And I’ll see you again real soon.