You’re too comfortable.” Yep, I said it, because I hear the word stuck all the time. I’m stuck in my career. I’m stuck in my business. I’m stuck financially. I’m stuck with my health. I’m stuck in this relationship. I’m stuck trying to figure out what’s next. And listen, sometimes people really are stuck.

Sometimes circumstances hit you that you didn’t create and couldn’t control. But a lot of the time, we’re not stuck. We’re just staying comfortable, and there’s a massive difference, because stuck means there’s no way forward. [00:01:00] Comfortable means there is a way forward.

, You just don’t like what it’s going to require from you. Think about that. You just don’t know what it’s gonna require from you. And so, again, think about that just for a second. Maybe you know exactly what conversation you need to have.

Maybe you know exactly what phone call you need to make., Maybe you know you need to leave the job, start the business, ask for the sale, raise your price, get your butt out of bed,

So we put the phone down, get back in the gym, apologize, set the boundary, end something, begin something. But doing it creates uncertainty, and human beings love certainty. That’s what I found. And , even when the certainty stinks, we’ll stay inside a predictable problem because an unpredictable opportunity scares the heck out of us.

That’s what I want to unpack today. ‘Cause if we’re going to level up, we’ve got to stop calling every uncomfortable season stuck. Sometimes discomfort is the dang doorway. I coach entrepreneurs, I coach executives, I coach athletes, I coach students, and one thing I’ve learned: success does not make you immune to comfort.

Actually, [00:02:00] success can make comfort even more dangerous, because now you’ve got something to protect. You know, the entrepreneurs that I coach and have bui- built successful businesses with, revenue starts coming in, people respect them, they’re doing well, but eventually they hit a ceiling.

And they tell me, “Fergie, I don’t know why I can’t get to the next level.” So we start digging, and almost every time there’s something underneath it. Maybe they know they need to hire somebody better than them in the area of business,

But they’re afraid to give up control. Maybe they know their pricing doesn’t match their value, but they’re afraid customers will say no. Maybe they know they’re spending 70% of their time doing $30 an hour work while claiming they want to build a seven-figure company. Maybe they need to fire someone they genuinely like.

Maybe they need to stop being everybody’s buddy and actually lead. That’s not always a strategy problem. Sometimes that’s a comfort problem. And here’s where the coaching kind of gets fun with my clients, ’cause I’m gonna ask, “What do you already know?” Not, “What do you think?” What do you already know? And usually there’s silence

because somewhere underneath all the noise, they know. That’s your first level up question today. What do you already know that you keep pretending you [00:03:00] don’t know? Write that down. Seriously, what do you already know? You know, someone that I respect a lot, a f- a fellow shipmate of mine in the Navy, Jocko Willink, has a quote I absolutely love, “Discipline equals freedom.”

Three words, but there’s a lot packed into those three words. People hear discipline and think restriction. I hear discipline and think options. You know, I talk all the time about building a life of options, not obligations. Discipline creates those options. If I’m disciplined financially, I create options.

If I’m disciplined with my body, I create options. If I’m disciplined with my calendar, I create options. I’m, if I’m disciplined with my business, I create options. If I’m disciplined about who gets access to my energy, I create options. Comfort feels like freedom in the moment, but too much comfort eventually takes freedom away.

That’s the trap. Sleeping in feels comfortable, until your health starts taking options away. Avoiding your finances feels comfortable until debt starts making decisions for you. Not having the [00:04:00] difficult conversation feels uncomfortable until the resentment owns the relationship.

Not making the sales call feels comfortable – Until your bank account starts making decisions for your business. Comfort sends you the bill later, and usually there’s interest attached. And I’m telling you, squad, I’ve lived through this. I’ve kind of like set things aside, procrastinated.

Eventually, it came back to bite me, especially that last one about following up with leads. I’ve seen my bank account dwindle, and I’m like, “Where did it all go?” But because I wasn’t disciplined with the follow-up. When I pay a lot of money a lot of times for leads to come into me, I just don’t follow up with them, right?

Let me give you kind of another coaching example. I’ve worked with entrepreneurs who are absolutely relentless when they’re doing something they are actually good at. They’ll work 12 hours. They’ll answer emails at night. They’ll solve problems. They’ll put out fires. They’ll tell everybody, “Nobody har- works harder than me.”

And sometimes they’re right. Then I’ll ask, “How many sales calls did you make?” “Well,” , how many people did [00:05:00] you directly ask for the business?” “Well,” “How many times did you put yourself somewhere rejection was possible?” “Well,” It was interesting

because now we’re finding something. You’re willing to work hard, you’re just not necessarily willing to work uncomfortable. Those are not the same thing. Let me say that again. Working hard and doing hard things are not always the same thing. You can work incredibly hard inside your comfort zone. That’s a knowledge nugget right there.

Some of you are exhausted because you become world-class at doing the difficult things that feel familiar, while avoiding the one comfortable thing that would actually change your life. You’re reorganizing, researching, planning, tweaking, perfecting, taking another course, watching another video, listening to another podcast.

A- And I, I’m, again, squad, I’m so guilty of these things. I’ve did it before where instead of doing the hard thing, I will, you know, put on something. Let’s learn a little bit more. Let’s reach out to somebody. Let’s do something that’s a heck of a lot more comfortable than doing the hard thing. You [00:06:00] know, hey, you might be listening to me right now instead of making the call you know you need to make, and if that’s you, I appreciate the ratings, but make the darn call.

Seriously. Information can become cr- procrastination wearing a nice suit. Again, information can become pro- procrastination wearing a nice suit. How about the crazy awesome, another one of my shipmates, David Goggins? You know, he talks about idea of callusing the mind. Think about a callus in, on your hand.

It develops because friction happened repeatedly. Your body adapted. Your mind can do the same thing. But here’s where I think people get this wrong. They think discomfort has to be extreme. Run 100 miles. Jump into the freezing water. Do 500 pushups. That’s fine. I love physical challenges. I just tried a 50K.

Didn’t exactly turn out the way I wanted it to, but I did it. And so I love those physical challenges. But some of the hardest discomfort in life doesn’t make a cool Instagram reel. Hear that, squad? So many of us are doom scrolling, but [00:07:00] some of the hardest discomfort in life doesn’t make a cool Instagram reel.

Try telling someone you love that you’re disappointed. Try admitting you were wrong. Try saying, “I need help.” Try saying no. And I have clients out there this week that I’ve been on there, they have a hard time saying no. Try raising your rates if you’re a, a coach, a consultant, or an entrepreneur. Try leaving a career you’ve spent for 20 years building.

Try starting over at 45 or 50 or 54. Try walking into a room where everybody is better than you. Try publishing something knowing people might criticize it. Try asking for the sale knowing somebody might reject you. That’s discomfort. You don’t need to become fearless. That’s another lie. You need to become willing.

There’s a difference, okay? There’s a huge difference, squad. Fear says, “This could hurt.” Willingness says, “I’m moving anyway.” Now, how about the crazy guy Cam Hanes out there in Oregon? Um, I was blessed to have, uh, uh, some time with him. But the [00:08:00] guy, you know, he has built much of the slo- philosophy around one simple idea: keep hammering.

I love that because hammering isn’t glamorous. You know, also he has another saying, “Nobody cares, work harder.” Again, nobody cares, work harder, which is awesome ’cause it falls right into what we’re talking about here. Again, hammering isn’t glamorous. One swing doesn’t build much. It’s repetition again, again, again, again.

That’s how confidence is actually built. People tell me, “Coach, I need more confidence.” Okay. Confidence with what? Because confidence isn’t magic fairy dust somebody sprinkles on your head, okay? Confidence usually comes from evidence. You said you’d train, you trained. Evidence. You said you’d make the call, you made it.

Evidence. You said you’d wake up at 5:30. Alarm goes off, you get up. Evidence. You said you’d have the conversation, you had it. Evidence. Every time you keep a promise to yourself, you’re collecting evidence, and eventually your [00:09:00] brain starts saying, “Wait a minute. When this person says we’re doing something, we actually do it.”

That’s self-trust, and that self-trust is freaking powerful. But here’s the other side. Every time you continually negotiate yourself out of something you committed to, you’re collecting evidence too, just the wrong kind of evidence. I’ll start Monday. Evidence. I’ll call tomorrow. Evidence. Next month.

Evidence. When things calm down. Evidence. You eventually teach yourself, “My word to myself doesn’t really mean anything.” That’s dangerous. So here’s something I want the Varsity Squad to do with me. Think about one area of your life where you’ve been saying you’re stuck. Just one. Business, career, health, relationship, money, faith, whatever it is.

So you got that? Whatever it is, now ask yourself, “Am I actually stuck or avoiding discomfort?” Don’t judge the answer, get curious. That’s something I teach the athletes and business leaders I coach consistently, [00:10:00] constantly. Curiosity instead of, “Why am I such an idiot?” Ask, “What am I avoiding?” Instead of, “Why can’t I ever get ahead?”

Ask, “What decision am I delaying?” Instead of, “Why am I unmotivated?” Ask, what standard have I allowed to slip?” Better questions create better answers. Again, questions drive our life. Something as simple as driving down the road, your brain fires to saying, “Oh, I make a left. Should I put on my blinker?”

That’s a weak question. I have my clients ask themselves powerful questions on a daily basis because, again, that gatekeeper of the conscious mind will eventually lead to that subconscious mind, and you’ll start acting with the wherewithal, with the energy of the person that you wanna become. And speaking about becoming, I would not be here without my good friend Steve Austin from Rise Mortgage.

We’re the sponsor. And right now we’re gonna throw it to Steve for his leveling up mortgage knowledge nugget, and when we get back, we’re gonna dig a lot more into, uh, becoming [00:11:00] uncomfortable. Okay? Steve, take it away Hey, squad. Thank you so much, Steve Austin, for your awesome sauce, , sponsorship of the show, also your friendship.

Um, we had a great lunch last week. We talked about things. We’re gonna be doing big things, and again, thank you so much, Steve Austin. And squad, we are back here, uh, uh, again, about being uncomfortable, okay? Um, Ed Mylett, someone that I immensely respect. I’ve been blessed to be in areas where he’s speaking, , and listen to him, learn from him, and he’s talks extensively about the idea that we are much closer to changing our lives than we realize.

And I love that concept because people massively overestimate what transformation has to look like. We imagine this giant moment, this giant breakthrough, this giant opportunity, but sometimes your next level is sitting behind one uncomfortable decision, one phone call, one boundary, one application, one workout, one apology, [00:12:00] one pitch, one honest conversation, one hour spent doing the thing you avoided for six months.

That’s why I don’t want you thinking about changing your entire life today. That’s too big. I want you thinking about the next courageous action, not the entire staircase. That’s the next step. . That’s it

And let me tell you something about comfort that I’ve learned in my own life. Comfort is sneaky because it changes costumes. When you’re young, comfort might look like laziness. Later in life, comfort can look incredibly responsible. That’s dangerous. I’m just being realistic. Maybe. I’m waiting for the right time.

Maybe. I need to research it more. Maybe. I’ve got people depending on me. Absolutely. I’m just making sure everything is lined up. Okay. But sometimes, um, being responsible really means I’m terrified, and there’s nothing wrong with admitting you’re scared. [00:13:00] I’d rather coach somebody who tells me, “Fergie, I’m crazy scared.”

Beautiful. Now we can work because we have the truth. But if fear keeps dressing up itself up as logic, we’ll keep solving the wrong problem. There’s a quote I often attribute to Seneca that says, “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” Man, how much of our discomfort happens before anything even happens?

You haven’t even made the call yet, but they’ve already rejected you. You haven’t launched yet, but it’s already failed. You already had the conversat- You haven’t even had the conversation yet, but somehow you’ve already played the argument 37 times in your head. You haven’t applied, but you’re already underqualified.

You haven’t walked in the gym, but everybody is already judging you. You haven’t started, and somehow you’ve already lost. That’s imagination working against you. What if you flipped it? What if instead of asking, “What if this goes wrong?” you ask, “What’s possible if this goes right?” Not fantasy, possibility, ’cause your brain needs to see somewhere worth growing and going.

Marcus Aurelius, the awesome philosopher, says, ” the [00:14:00] impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” That’s powerful. The obstacle isn’t always something you need to get around

sometimes the obstacle is the training. The difficult employee, leadership training. The rejection, sales training. The failed business, resilience training. The injury, patience training.

The difficult conversation, courage training. The season where nobody believes in you, self-trust training. What stands in the way becomes the way. That’s why I’m always telling people I coach, “Don’t waste the adversity.”

You’ve already paid for the lesson. Take the darn lesson home with you. Now, here’s where I’m gonna challenge my high performers listening, ’cause you’re the easiest people to fool. You know? You know why? Because you produce, you get results. People compliment you. People depend on you.

You might even be the person everybody else comes to for advice. So it’s easy to say, “I’m doing fine.” Maybe you are, but fine can become the most expensive comfort zone of your life, ’cause nothing hurts enough to force change. [00:15:00] Business is fine. Marriage is fine. Health is fine. Money is fine. Energy is fine.

Everything’s fine, but you know there’s another gear. You know there’s a conversation you’re avoiding. You know there’s a dream you’ve been quietly negotiating downward. You know you’re capable of more, and I’m not saying everybody needs to build a billion-dollar company to run an ultramarathon. That’s not leveling up.

Leveling up is personal. Maybe your next level is being home for dinner. Maybe it’s losing 30 pounds. Maybe it’s finally asking for help. Maybe it’s starting that company. Maybe it’s shutting a company down. Maybe it’s becoming a better father. Maybe it’s going back to school. Maybe it’s forgiving somebody.

Maybe it’s forgiving yourself. How about that, squad? Maybe it’s forgiving yourself. Your next level belongs to you, but you have to stop lying to yourself about what it’s going to cost. So I’m gonna give you something practical. I call this the comfort audit. Four questions. Grab your phone, paper. You should already be taking notes, right?

But just write these down. Question one: Where have I been saying I’m stuck? Name it. Okay. Where are you [00:16:00] stuck? Question two: What uncomfortable action ha- have I been avoiding? Be s- be specific. Not, “I need to work harder.” No. “I need to call these five prospects. I need to have the conversation with my business partner.

I need to schedule the appointment. I need to tell my family what I actually want.” Be very specific. Question three: what is avoiding costing me? Money, energy, confidence, health, time, peace, opportunity, relationships? Because comfort has a price. Make yourself look at the invoice. And question four: What will I do in the next 24 hours?

Not someday, not eventually, not January 1st, in 24 hours. One move. And here’s the bonus question. Who needs to know? Because accountability changes things. Tell somebody, your spouse, your coach, your mentor, your business partner, your friend. Say, “Here’s what I’ve been avoiding and here’s what I’m gonna do about it.”

Now you move the decision from your imagination into the real world. And I’ll tell you, squad, [00:17:00] that is super, super powerful. One thing I’ve seen coaching entrepreneurs is that sometimes they don’t need another strategy. They need somebody willing to challenge their story. They’ll tell me – why something won’t or can’t happen, right?

And I’ll listen. Then I’ll ask, “Is that true?” Sometimes absolutely it is, but sometimes it’s a story they’ve repeated so many times that it start- started sounding like a fact. I can’t raise prices. Why? My customers won’t pay for it. Have you asked? No. That’s interesting. You know, I had that with a, a, a barber that I used to go to.

Unfortunately, he’s moved out of the area. And what I loved about him is that, you know, he started off with like the friends and family m- military discount at like 25 bucks a, a cut, which is absolutely no problem. But then he just said, one day I walked in, I love his work by the way, he always makes me look on point whether it’s in a speaking engagement, you know, or whatnot.

I always, my lid was [00:18:00] did. It was awesome. And he said, “Fergie, I’m, I’m putting it up to $40.” Now I did ask him why and he, he didn’t have to tell me why. I would’ve still paid it, but I did ask him why and he just said that that’s the direction he’s moving. I respected him for that. He asked me, you know? Or how about the, somebody that says, “I can’t hire somebody.”

Why? “I can’t afford it.” What would happen if hiring that person freed 15 hours of your week for revenue producing work? , You say, “I haven’t thought about that. I can’t start yet.” Why? “It’s not ready.” What’s not ready? “I don’t know.” There it is. We found the gap. That’s why, , people kind of named me the gap coach.

A- a- and I’d like to s- take credit for calling it that but they’re like, “Fergie man, you helped me bridge that gap.” And I was like, wow. And, and I guess for putting it out there or getting introduced or a slogan it really has helped, but there is that gap, squad.

– Because there is where you are, and then there is where you’re [00:19:00] capable of going. And between those two points lives a gap, and that gap is rarely crossed by wishing. That gap is crossed by action, right? So as we kind of bring this little conversation home, and thank you so much for staying with me this, this far.

I, I’m very, very passionate about people getting uncomfortable, ’cause I do it every morning even though I don’t wanna do it. But as we kind of bring this, conversation we’re having home, here’s what I want you to remember. I’m not telling you that comfort is bad. Recovery matters. Peace matters.

Rest matters. Family matters. Enjoying what you’ve built matters. I’m not interested in helping people become productivity robots who feel guilty every time they sit on the couch. That’s ridiculous or stupid, if you ask me. I’m talking about the comfort that slowly makes your world smaller, the comfort that whispers, “Don’t try.

Don’t risk it. Don’t speak up. Don’t ask. Don’t change. Stay here.” That’s the comfort I’m asking you to challenge, because growth and comfort [00:20:00] can coexist, but growth requires you to regularly leave comfort on purpose. So I got a challenge for you. Before your head hits the pillow tonight, Do one thing you’ve been avoiding because it makes you uncomfortable. Send the email, make the call, schedule a meeting, take the walk, submit the application, ask the question, say no, say yes, apologize, ask for help. Whatever your thing is, do it, not because Coach Fergie told you or asked you to do it.

Do it because every time you walk directly towards something you’ve been avoiding, you prove something to yourself. I move, I adjust, I reroute. I don’t need perfect conditions. I don’t need to feel ready. I don’t need everybody to understand. I need the courage to take the next step, and maybe, just maybe, you were never stuck in the first place.

Maybe you’ve been standing in front of an unlocked door waiting for somebody else to open it. Varsity squad, turn the handle. Walk through the darn door, because the version of you on the other side, they’re waiting for you to catch up.

And so if you wanna have, like, a really quick conversation, [00:21:00] or not a quick, quick conversation, I, I offer Hour of Power complimentary. Um, please reach out to me directly, 248-739-6362. Again, 248-739-6362. 248-739-6362 or go to timetoshinetoday.com/hop. Again, timetoshinetoday.com/hop

for Hour of Power. So until next week, I’ll probably have a guest back with me. Um, if you like this, let me know you liked it. If you didn’t like it, let me know that as well. I’m really trying to grow this and really lean into service of the people here in Palm Beach County and, of course, abroad, uh, the United States and the world.

. So until next time, I want you to lean into your ultimate human potential. I want you to do something scared.

I want you to lean into it, i- into life and lean, lean into service. And I wanna thank WJNO. Love to thank my producer Brian Mudd, and everyb- all, especially all the troops [00:22:00] out there that are getting it done for this great country, United States of America. So until next week, go have a great weekend. I absolutely love your guts