The Problem Men Face Today
Just like we need the proper amount of food to thrive—not too much and not too little, we also need some level of comfort in our lives.Unfortunately, most of those men who are lucky to live in stable, prosperous countries have grown addicted to comfort, ease, and convenience.
Because they have too much of it, they’ve grown weak—both physically and mentally.
Complaining about first world problems, unable to handle adversity, they stay away from challenges.
They’re poor leaders, unreliable partners, and uninspiring friends.
They not only fail to live up to their full potential but set a bad example for future generations, too.
Worst of it all, these men lack self-respect and self-confidence.
Deep inside, they suspect there may be more to life. But they never venture far enough outside of their comfort zones to discover the truth.
The Solution
Dave Kekich, a successful entrepreneur who became paralyzed from the chest down after a freak spinal cord injury, once said:Life’s easy when you live it the hard way… and hard if you try to live it the easy way.
True to his word, despite his accident he never stopped pursuing excellence in life.
As men, we excel when we’re exploring the limits. Too much comfort makes us apathetic. Challenges make life exciting and fulfilling.
Voluntary discomfort is the antidote to our lives becoming devoid of growth and stimulation. The benefits of getting out of your comfort zone can be life-changing.
Our bodies grow stronger, more resilient, and more capable when we exercise strenuously and push our physical limits (in a sustainable way, not to break ourselves down).
Our minds expand and sharpen when we study difficult topics, open ourselves to new ideas, and control our emotions.
Moreover, practicing voluntary discomfort makes us better prepared when we face unwelcome adversity. Because we’re accustomed to the feeling, we don’t panic and despair. This makes us more resilient and more capable as leaders.
But the solution isn’t to live unhappy, miserable lives constantly grinding and pushing our limits without never taking a day off or enjoying ourselves.
Rather, it’s about restoring a healthy relationship between comfort and discomfort. Too little comfort can be equally as bad as too much of it. So we aim to challenge ourselves and consistently grow in a smart, sustainable way.
Introducing the Discomfort Club
Discomfort Club is a community of men who are tired of status quo and want to push themselves to get better.
When you sign up for the newsletter, each Sunday you’ll receive an email with food for thought, exercises, and questions to reflect on to live a more challenging and more fulfilling life.
This isn’t your standard “masculine” newsletter that will tell you how much of a bitch you are because you aren’t crushing it at the gym every day of your life. You won’t be called names for having doubts or struggling to get out of your lazy habits.
Instead, the newsletter is supposed to make you think and grow in a smart way in a variety of fields—while challenging yourself as often as it’s practical, not as often as you can (we believe in sustainability over flashy accomplishments).
Sign up for the weekly newsletter now:
Meet the Founder
I’m Martin.
I’m a writer, entrepreneur, (very) amateur athlete, adventurer, and a (cheap) life philosopher.
To say that discomfort has changed my life would be a great understatement.
It helped me build a successful business, overcome extreme shyness, paralyzing fear of heights, unsettling anxiety in deep water, and more.
Here are some of my achievements and adventures I owe to cultivating voluntary discomfort:
- building a successful publishing company,
- learning two foreign languages (one of which is English, the second is Spanish),
- visiting 30+ countries (and counting) and living in four of them,
- cold water surfing and swimming in water temperatures as low as 3 degrees Celsius / 37 Fahrenheit (I am NOT a fan of cold water),
- among other travels, a road trip through wild Kyrgyzstan, exploring Oman, and some crazy adventures in Morocco,
- two 3-day water fasts of 89 and 84 hours,
- multi-pitch climbing in southern Spain, Croatia, and Italy,
- learning how to freedive in the Canary Islands,
- to overcome my fear of heights, I tried skydiving, flying in a hot-air balloon, and paragliding,
- barefoot hiking on various trails across the world (I walk barefoot most of the time).
I try to do something uncomfortable or hard every day. Currently in my weekly routine, depending on the season and where I am, I:
- train calisthenics,
- practice MMA,
- work on my American accent (I’m not a native English speaker),
- work on my Spanish,
- study autobiographies of inspiring men and read other thought-provoking books,
- practice intermittent fasting (at least 16-20 hours a day),
- walk, hike and run barefoot,
- swim in open water,
- engage in other types of movements like cycling, rucking, and more.
