It’s been a long time since I ranted at y’all! I suppose it’s because financial independence has resulted in a kinder, gentler and better adjusted version of myself.
Who am I kidding? I still have plenty of vitriol! Brace yourselves!
Observation #1: I was out shoveling snow a couple weeks ago when a neighbor stopped by. He must have felt bad for me because he said I could use his snowblower.
Observation #2: At least 1/4 of my neighbors start their cars minutes before they leave to warm them up. I’ve even seen some of them doing this in the summer to cool off their car with air conditioning.
Observation #3: My daughter has a schoolmate that lives almost across the street from the school. Her parents drive her to school:
These observations make me sad. If I used a snowblower, I’d be depriving my body of a workout. I’d also have another mechanical contrivance to maintain. My neighbors waste fuel and risk having their cars stolen just because they won’t tolerate sitting in a cold (or hot) car for a couple of minutes. The parents that drive their child 500 feet to school are missing out on great walking and bonding time.
When I see my fellow humans striving for temporary comfort, I worry too. When I extrapolate this behavior, I always arrive at the same place; the movie Wall-E. In the film, humans have trashed the earth, so they have moved to a spaceship. Everyone has generous proportions because they ride around on a flying chair with a screen in front of them:
When I see people who can’t be bothered with even a minor inconvenience, I wonder if they would choose to ride around in a chair all day too?
The Incredible Power Of Discomfort
My life is wonderful and I owe much of it to discomfort:
- Doing well in classes like organic chemistry, cell biology and calculus wasn’t easy, but I got into a top PharmD program as a result.
- When I decided that I’d hate being a pharmacist, I dropped out and studied software development. That wasn’t easy either, but I got a great job as a result.
- Software development is no walk in the park. However, it paid well and I enjoyed the intellectual challenge.
- Flipping houses wasn’t comfortable, especially with kids in the picture.
- Effective workouts are painful. Running multiple miles or lifting heavy weights isn’t fun. But now, my blood pressure is lower and my knees no longer hurt.
If my goal was comfort, I would have done none of the above. Comfort isn’t rewarding, but hard work is:
- I felt awesome when I received all As in the most failed class on campus (Organic Chemistry 331).
- I was on top of the world when I graduated Magna Cum Laude in Biology and Chemistry.
- Getting code to finally work right is incredibly fulfilling.
- I feel great after a workout. I feel even better when I’ve done it outside when the temperatures are in the teens:
Short-Term Discomfort Equals Long-Term Success
Why dismiss the easy path?
Exercise hurts!
I don’t have time to walk!
This way is more convenient!
Who has done anything special sitting on a couch? Great things happen only outside of your comfort zone.
And if you’re still not convinced, let me put it another way; there are two comforts that you should absolutely try to achieve. These are both long-term and you should never stop pursuing them:
- Financial security
- Health
Short-term comforts and convenience (driving everywhere, excessive leisure, fast food, dismissing all manual labor) are often contrary to these long-term goals.
Comfort is easy, but it isn’t natural:
- Comfort is driving up to the top of the mountain instead of hiking it.
- Comfort is eating crappy, processed food because it tastes good instead of vegetables.
- Comfort is 6 hours of TV per day.
- Comfort is paying someone to mow your lawn, wash your car and clean your home.
- Comfort is less than 4,000 steps a day.
Comfort leads to a big gut, heart disease and an unsatisfying life.
Maximal comfort equals minimal living.
Greece Chautauqua: Almost Sold Out!
The FI Chautauqua takes place for only 2 weeks this year and I’m incredibly honored to be a part of it. As of this morning, week 2 is now sold out and week 1 only has a couple of spots left. If you’re at all interested in going, get your ticket now or consider joining the wait list for the 2019 edition.
Join the 10s who have signed up already!
Subscribing will improve your life in incredible ways*.
*Only if your life is pretty bad to begin with.
Mrs. Adventure Rich says
I could not agree more! In both physical and non-physical ways, getting outside my comfort zone and pushing myself to try something new or do something that doesn’t feel easy is one of the best ways I find growth and improvement. Yes it is hard and yes it is not always pleasant, but the challenge is completely worth it in the end. Thanks for the reminder!
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Sue says
Check out the book-The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. I think you would enjoy it.
Mr. 1500 Days says
I just added it to my queue at the library! Thank you for the suggestion!
Lisa says
Yes, this! There is a line between efficiency and comfort, and it’s important to examine our choices to make sure they fall in a logical place. I walk 2 miles each way to work every day because, with the terrible traffic, it takes me about the same amount of time and saves me $400 on a parking permit plus gas, etc. One of my co-workers lives on the same street almost a mile closer, but she drives every day even though she’s training for a half-marathon. I asked her about this choice, and she said it’s because she wants to have the freedom to run errands during the day. (A thing she admitted she’s never done in the 2 years she’s worked at this place.)
If people could have some distance to examine their actions, they might make different choices. When you remove the comfort option, you quickly become creative enough to solve any issues that might be associated with the slightly more difficult one. That creativity and self-reliance is an important trait that I think a lot of our society has forgotten.
Mr. 1500 Days says
This is great and you brought up an important point that I failed to mention: Often, these little voluntary discomforts had multiple good effects. In your case, you’re improving your health by walking and saving a huge amount of money on the commute.
Do you get frustrated when you see people committing to these actions blindly? I’m always like (in my head at least): “JUST THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU”RE DOING FOR 5 MINUTES!!!! YOU CAN”T POSSIBLY THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA!!!!”
And this is a wonderful point too (hell, you should be the one writing this blog and not me! 🙂 ):
“When you remove the comfort option, you quickly become creative enough to solve any issues that might be associated with the slightly more difficult one.”
Mr. Freaky Frugal says
Wow, I couldn’t agree more!
I do one or two physically or mentally uncomfortable things everyday so that I’m challenged. If I don’t, I slowly get bored and then depressed. This morning I’m going to go sprinting which is one of my least favorite physical activites, but it’s really good for me.
I love the picture deadlifts in the snow!
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Mr. 1500 Days says
Deadlifts are a form of torture for me! Physically, I feel terrible when I’m done with them and the next day, my butt hurts like crazy. However, the great mental state makes up for the bad physical one 100x over.
Mr. 1500 Days recently posted…Rant: Maximal Comfort Equals Minimal Living
Brian says
Short term sacrifice, for the good of the long-term goal, sound about right to me.
Brian recently posted…How to Pay Off Debt on a Low Income
Kate says
I had a neighbor who used to start her car for 10 minutes, then drive her children up the street (literally 1 block) every day to get on the bus. She couldn’t even walk them a few hundred feet. Then she’d sit in the car until the bus came. After school, the same thing, she’d sit on the phone for an hour before the bus came with the car running (even on gorgeous spring days) and drive back down the block. It’s insanity, not to mention the phone never came off her ear (before smartphones), and she incessantly ignored her kids to talk to whoever wanted to listen to her all day long.
Frustrates me when people sit with cars running, especially when they have garages. You could easily have a warm car, just clean out your stuff and park in the garage in the winter. I park in there every November thru March and my husband has to push all his woodworking tools to the back. They are all on moveable carts, because I refuse to have to deal with the whole “warm up the car” issue (and I have small children and about 7 minutes to drop them at school and get to work so we don’t have time to scrape ice). It may be more comfortable to me, but at least I’m wasting less natural resources! One day, the plan is to ride my bike more to work when I don’t have such a time constraint to get the kids in and off to work!
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Mr. 1500 Days says
That story makes me so sad. What are those children going to become as adults?
“You could easily have a warm car, just clean out your stuff and park in the garage in the winter.”
Yeah, you’d be solving two issues! Less stuff equals more living too.
Joel says
YES! Thanks for the reminder. I concur and this is just the kick in the pants this Norwegian needs to do something difficult today.
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Sara says
Life is basically a long sequence of inconveniences every day. Take out too many of your inconveniences and you have no life left. Oh, is there something that needs to be done and you don’t feel like doing it? – that’s how you know you are alive!
Mr. 1500 Days says
“Take out too many of your inconveniences and you have no life left. Oh, is there something that needs to be done and you don’t feel like doing it? – that’s how you know you are alive!”
Whoah, this is great! You’re a poet and should be writing here instead of me!
Brian says
Why don’t they have their cars in their garage? I don’t understand how someone keeps, what is likely, the second most expensive thing they own outside. If you can’t fit it in your garage, then you probably have too much crap (unless you have a really sweet workshop in there, but that is probably still too much crap).
Only mildly defending observation 3… Maybe they don’t get school bus service because they are so close and the child isn’t allowed to walk to school (that’s a weird thing that exists in some places). But you are right, if I lived that close to my kids school I’d walk them to school pretty consistently.
Mr. 1500 Days says
“Why don’t they have their cars in their garage?”
There are a lot of folks in my ‘hood who keep their cars outside just to store their crap. In the worst case of this, my neighbor (a hoarder like the kind you see on TV) rented the home across the street because his own home was too filled with junk to live in it. I can’t make this stuff up.
“…and the child isn’t allowed to walk to school”
Nope, we’re allowed to walk. The really crazy thing is that our school has no bus service, so everyone has to drive. This leads to a nasty traffic jam and it would actually be faster for these people to walk.
taranb says
Huge disagreement about cleaning your house. Admittedly you might get some exercise (?) but other than that minor benefit, there are a million things I’d rather do with my time. Mowing lawns and shovelling snow I get, as that is outside in the fresh air and accessories actually a bit of fun. Who could possibly say the same for cleaning a toilet? This is a hard pass on going anywhere near house cleaning.
Accidental FIRE says
Kudos Carl, this is the post I wish I could write. Or as I say, “Find Comfort In Discomfort”.
Love the Segway with the gallon-o-coke holder. Don’t be surprised if you get an email asking where to buy that…
Mr. 1500 Days says
Thanks AF!
And maybe we should invent that Segway cupholder? If you can’t beat them, join them? 🙂 However, we’ll start a charity that encourages people to walk and donate all proceeds to that!
freddy smidlap says
there’s big park 1.25 miles from my house. i walk/run my dog, banjo! over there quite often where i can unleash him and he can goof off with some other dogs all while breaking park leash rules. i get to know the other dog owners a little bit and every now and then one of them asks me if i’ve been to this or that dog park. my response always has been “i try not to drive in order to take a walk.” sometimes they don’t know how to take that but i’m not judging their habits.
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Brian @ The Graying Saver says
Throughout my son’s elementary school years I walked with him and the dog about a 1/4 mile to the bus stop every morning. I miss those days. Saw a lot of the other parents sitting in the running cars staring at the phones. Sad.
That is crazy about your neighbor. People like that need help. My wife had and aunt who was a hoarder. Had to follow trails through mountains of junk to get from one room to another. The bed only had a small area cleared for sleeping, the rest of it was piled with stuff.
Brian @ The Graying Saver recently posted…How the Rule of 55 Lifted the Fog Around My FIRE Date
Michael says
RE: Shovelling – I look for any excuse to not shovel, and I found one in that shovelling is actual a very dangerous and strenuous exercise that you should not be doing manually if you don’t need to.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/protect-your-heart-when-shoveling-snow-201101151153
Mr. 1500 Days says
“I found one in that shoveling is actually a very dangerous and strenuous exercise that you should not be doing manually if you don’t need to.”
Yet another reason to keep yourself in top physical form. If you’re in top shape, you’re less likely to injure yourself.
Angela @ Tread Lightly Retire Early says
Some of the very best things in life aren’t comfortable, in my opinion. Hiking and camping spring to mind 😉
Mr. 1500 Days says
Yep!
Getting to the top of 14er is serious work, but somehow, the view looks a whole lot better when you’ve arrived there with the power of your own legs!
Jason says
I agree. I love it when I get done with a weight workout and my muscles are strained. I also don’t understand people who take the stairs. Actually, today I cajoled one of my students who was going to take the elevator DOWN instead of walking the two flights of stairs (I eventually guilted him into taking the stairs.
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Mr. Tako says
Solid points Mr. 1500! A little discomfort can be a very good thing!
Although I have to say — After a really hard day, having a comfortable bed helps me recharge. Sure, I might be a little bit tougher if I slept on the floor instead of a nice comfy bed, but a good night’s sleep is worth it.
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Team CF says
And he’s back! And you are so right too! I try not to let myself slip into the comfort zone too often, but it does happen. The planet would probably look a lot better if we didn’t all make our lives so bloody comfortable. However, the pessimist in me see us going to that Wall-E scenario thou……
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Mr. 1500 Days says
I’m terrified of the WALL-E scenario too! For example, For example, if robots take all the jobs and universal basic income takes over, what percentage of humans would get off the couch?
Blake Smith says
Great post! Always wonder whether this pursue of comfort will sooner or later affect our physical evolution. Wall-E is a great example!
Mr. 1500 Days says
Humans will just go extinct because we’ll be too lazy to procreate! 🙂
Jason@WinningPersonalFinance says
Mr. 1500 you nailed this one. The best things in life are those we’ve worked the hardest for. Running a marathon is one of the accomplishments I’m most proud of. Why? When you talk to most people about running a marathon they think you’re crazy. It’s hard to do. Once I finished one, it felt great. Well, after the soreness went away. The mental strength learned from pushing through discomfort running also helped me at work. Dealing with discomfort makes you stronger. Strength makes you happier.
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Mr. 1500 Days says
“The mental strength learned from pushing through discomfort running also helped me at work. Dealing with discomfort makes you stronger. Strength makes you happier.”
YES! YES!! YES!!! All of the above!
Can you imagine a life without challenge? That would be the most boring, unsatisfying thing ever!
MrWow says
I love this. It’s why I ride my bike to work. It’s why we make an effort to mow our own grass and make our own dinner.
There’s pleasure in the accomplishment. I never realized this when I was younger. But now I appreciate it.
The struggle is part of the pleasure. So long as you can make progress… speaking of which. How’s the running? You will be so happy at 11am on March 31!!!
Mr. 1500 Days says
“There’s pleasure in the accomplishment.” “The struggle is part of the pleasure.”
Yep. Pain is how we grow. So many benefits.
Today, I ran outside. The first two miles totally sucked, but it got easier after that. I only planned on 3, but ended up running 6. Life is good. And did you see they have beer after the race? Woot!!!
Andy says
It’s easy to see why you and Pete are friends haha, but also, easy to see why you’ve both been very successful in life. This sort of philosophy is rare, but totally pays dividends in living a happier and more satisfying existence. I don’t think I can top what’s already been said by you and the other commenters, so I’ll just say thanks for the reminder! I’m going to do my best to do something uncomfortable, but productive today.
Mr. 1500 Days says
Pete is way more disciplined than I’ll ever be. Or maybe he doesn’t have a sweet-tooth! Or a beer-tooth.
“This sort of philosophy is rare, but totally pays dividends in living a happier and more satisfying existence.”
Yep, it sure does! And yeah, every day, we should all do something to out of our comfort zones.
Emoney says
Just today my husband and I were talking about how unfortunate it is that there’s a road to the top of a nearby mountain. My friends and I walked up the mountain this morning. Five women (one pregnant), four toddlers, and four babies under one. Four miles and 10000+ steps. And countless cars passing us to get to the top, some drivers openly irritated we were there.
“Comfort is easy, but it isn’t natural.”
Mr. 1500 Days says
Love it! Except for the “irritated people on cars part.” Poor folks are missing out.
EZD2017 says
hehe oh the snowblower, I am surround by neighbors that either use a snowblower or have it plowed by a service. My next door neighbor also shovels, and it is a family affair. Every year my boss and coworkers ask if I ever bought that snowblower. I show them a picture of my double-wide shovel/plow. As long as you keep up with 4″ or less, I can clear my driveway in 10-15min, beating the snowblower folks and almost matching the plows. Like you, I welcome the chance to exert some physical force in the winter in Chicago, and think about Wall-E all the time.
Disclaimer: I have a friend that owns a business that makes a good chunk of his money installing the remote starters. I have one that came installed in my used car, but I never use it.
Mr. 1500 Days says
Winter in Chicago! That’s my old stomping ground!
Good for you for getting outside and getting that heart rate up a bit!
Matt says
Great article!
I never used to get out of my comfort zone but now I am in my 40’s, I try to as often as possible.
It’s really true that great things can happen when you really push yourself!
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Mr. 1500 Days says
Thanks Matt! Yeah, I’m 44 and I’ve taken some chances in life, but not enough.
Matt says
Totally agree!
No pain no gain as they say.
You get nothing worthwhile without hard work and if you can’t embrace the grind you will find it difficult to find success!
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