We spend a lot of time and money on comfort. We search for the right pillow, the right chair, the right shoes (although my stiletto-wearing friends will disagree with that one).

And yet, many of the best things for us make us uncomfortable. The doctor’s visit where we calibrate our health . . . taking a walk even if we’re tired. . . finishing the taxes tonight instead of waiting until the last minute.

My job often involves making people uncomfortable. As a leadership & workplace coach, clients hire me to challenge them to take action toward things like building a better work experience, creating stronger career prospects or making more meaningful choices about how they use of their time and talents. And the only way to do that is to get really, really uncomfortable.

Discomfort is where the growth comes from. As a gardener, I think about the example set by a seed. How tough it must be to crack open its hard shell and push through the chilly spring ground. How uncomfortable it has to be to burst through the topsoil in a desperate effort to find the sun. But that is the only path to growth.

If you’re someone who wants to keep growing and sprouting new leaves in your work or life, it’s time to make uncomfortable your new comfortable.