If you truly wanted to, most people in the West reading this post could avoid physical discomfort. Sure, many have aches and pains that come with aging. And all of us will face the emotional and spiritual challenges inherent to being human. However, modernity has engineered much of the discomfort out of our lives.

We have air conditioning, motorized bicycles, and Instacart. In a recent study, researchers found that only 2% of people chose to take the stairs when an escalator was nearby.

And why not? It’s free, right?

But perhaps there is a reason we should choose otherwise. We need discomfort. We need to be challenged.
Regularly, we need to step out of ease and into effort. We need to meet obstacles and work to overcome them. We need the struggle.

When we embrace hard challenges, three things happen:

We grow and adapt. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone is essential for growth. When you embrace challenges and discomfort, you push the boundaries of what you perceive as your limits. This can lead to enhanced skills, new experiences, and greater adaptability to change. Over time, the goalposts move. What once seemed impossible, way beyond your reach, is now commonplace.

We build resilience and mental strength. Trying and failing, then trying again is good for us. We learn, we adapt, we change tactics. We are forced to be creative and seek new solutions. Along the way, we come to understand that a significant portion of the battle takes place in the mind—even when the challenge is physical. And when the breakthrough arrives, it reinforces a stronger sense of self-efficacy and confidence that you can do this.

We gain greater empathy for others in the fight. While it is true that most in modern society have the option of creature comforts, many still face constant suffering and struggle. When we adopt an intentionally challenging path, we better understand and connect with different perspectives and hardships. This can lead to more compassionate interpersonal relationships and a broader, more inclusive worldview. By stepping into the shoes of others and facing discomforts that are not necessarily your own, you expand your emotional intelligence and ability to relate to people from diverse backgrounds.

Let’s be a community that doesn’t shy away from challenges or from walking alongside others who don’t have a choice. Let’s lean into the opportunities to stretch ourselves and our conceptions of what is possible.

Or, at the very least, let’s opt to take the stairs.