Discomfort, Friction and Creative Blocks

In our fast-paced, instant-solution-oriented society, we are focused on a quick fix and a hit of stimulant. We seek comfort and ease as much as we can.

Yet, if we embark upon long-term projects, such as PhD research, our habits of getting quick fixes and preference for the shortcuts might leave us unable to dive deeper into our work.

The unsettling ugly truth is that we need to seek the area of discomfort, of hard thinking and of creative blocks in order to push our research forward.

We are not used to unpleasant experiences and discomfort - but these elements are part of life. If we learn to simply be with the feeling of comfort or discomfort at any given time, we can make progress.

For myself, I like to think of these moments of discomfort in terms of two elements in contact with each other:

To make the two planes slide, you need to build up some friction first.

In other words, to make a step forwards, you will always get stuck in that ugly dark place of discomfort and creativity blocks.
This insight stimulated me to spend more time trying to do the difficult thing I'd otherwise put off.

Instead of seeking an escape and procrastinate a bit, I imagine the two planes firmly pressed together, building up friction, and getting ready to move forward.

Your take home message for today:

A block, a dead point in your research does not equal a stand-still in your work. 
You are building up the necessary strength to take a leap forward!