I know that this video talks about stress and adversity being ways to grow and I completely agree with that, but I want to focus more on being uncomfortable and how we respond to being uncomfortable.

How comfortable are you being uncomfortable? I know that's a weird question to ask, but I want you to seriously think about it. How do you react when you are faced with circumstances that you're uncomfortable with? Do you immediately look for refuge or do you try to learn from the experience? I'm not referring to situations that endanger you or someone else, those situations should always be avoided, I'm talking about situations that challenge you to think differently than you're accustomed to. The situations that leave you thinking after. The situations you don't face every day. The situations you dread until you're forced to face them.

I used to really hate being uncomfortable. I avoided it at all costs, but I realized that it's an important part of my growth as an individual. There are many uncomfortable situations I have been through that have helped me to learn more about myself. For me, it was public speaking. My first semester in college I had to take classes that forced me to do group and individual presentations and when I was faced with these uncomfortable situations I learned that I like talking to people and relaying information - I just want to be in control of when and where I do it. I see this revelation as personal growth.

Any time you learn something about yourself you are growing and it should be seen as an accomplishment. I don't care what the circumstances were that lead to that realization, you are always moving in the right direction when you are learning more about who you are.

Please stop running away from uncomfortable situations, face them. If I was never required to present in front of my class freshmen year I probably wouldn't have learned how much I like to relay useful information, I most likely wouldn't have been comfortable enough to start sharing my thoughts publicly via blogs, and I definitely wouldn't have started AKB. I don't care if you feel like you're continuously running into a wall by trying to face circumstances that you're uncomfortable with, keep doing it. You're learning and you're growing, everything else is just noise.