Why are we so willing to embrace the pain and discomfort of strengthening our bodies but fight against the pain and discomfort of strengthening our influence?

Imagine the soreness your body feels after a tough workout. Twenty-four or 48 hours later, you remain painfully aware of how hard you worked. Little tasks like sitting down can hurt so much.

No pain, no gain. We've all heard this saying when it comes to physical exercise: To get physically stronger, we need to do the work. We accept that discomfort will result.

Why are we so quick to embrace the discomfort of improving our bodies and resist the discomfort of improving our connection and influence skills? Doesn't the same level of discipline and discomfort apply?

Embracing discomfort is the key to professional growth. We get stronger with repetition and learn from failure.

Here's how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

1. Be consistent. Our bodies don't improve with occasional exercise nor our influence skills. The moment you accept comfort, you become lazy and stop getting better. Consistency requires practicing one influence skill in every interaction, Monday to Monday.

2. Have a growth mindset. When the skills become permanent, and the discomfort stops, it's time to push harder. That's when noticeable improvement occurs. Having a growth mindset means getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

3. Fight what feels natural. When your body and mind say this isn't right, it doesn't feel natural; resist the urge to do what you know. Ask for ongoing feedback to understand how your changes are perceived. Lean on what others see, not what you feel to be true. Becoming physically fit means embracing the work it takes. Becoming influentially fit requires the same.

Are you up for the challenge?