Chapter 49: The Myth Of Comfort

I have a theory that life gets easier the moment you stop chasing what’s easy.

That’s the paradox.

The harder the thing you pursue, the stronger you become.

Most people spend their lives chasing comfort.

But comfort dulls you.

You weren’t built to do what’s “easy”.

You were built to pursue things that challenge you.

Because struggle builds character,

pain gives you perspective,

and the things that feel unbearable in the moment

end up becoming the stories that shape you.

The Myth of Comfort

We’re trained to chase what’s comfortable, to play it safe and avoid risk.

But comfort’s sneaky. It looks good on the outside, but inside, you start to feel numb.

Seneca said it best:

He was right.

You don’t grow doing what’s easy.

You grow when you face resistance and keep going anyway.

The First Lesson: Rejection Builds Confidence

When I started my career, I cold-called 100+ people a day.

If you’ve never done it, you’d probably think that sounds miserable.

But looking back, those days were electric.

I was quite literally dialing for dollars.

Every “no” thickened my skin a little.

Every “yes” reminded me the struggle was worth it.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but those hours on the phone taught me how to find meaning in repetition and rejection.

The Second Lesson: Pain Shapes Purpose

A few years later, I signed up for an Ironman.

This came with:

5:40 a.m. alarms,

10-14 hours of training per week,

& a lot of time alone with my thoughts.

Most people would call that torture, but those months were some of the most meaningful of my life.

Every early morning was a chance to prove I was who I said I was.

The funny part is, the goal was never the finish line. It was the transformation.

Physical pain turned into mental clarity and every training session stripped away the excuses until all that was left was discipline and belief.

The Third Lesson: Fear Builds Freedom

This year brought a new kind of hard.

Moving across the world.

Building a business online.

& Sharing my work in public.

It wasn’t physical anymore,

it was psychological.

Fear of failure.

Fear of embarrassment.

Fear of being seen trying.

But I kept showing up. Because every hard thing before this one had taught me how.

Rejection taught me confidence. Endurance taught me discipline. And creation taught me courage.

That mix — the ability to face what scares you and smile like you’re greeting an old friend — that’s real freedom.

The Hard Path Is the Path

When I zoom out, the pattern’s clear.

The rejection, the long training blocks, the risk of putting myself out there.

Different arenas, but the same lessons.

Pain shapes perspective, struggle shapes character, & discomfort shapes meaning.

Hard things aren’t something to avoid, they’re something to run toward.

Your Turn

You don’t need the perfect mission, just one that demands your best.

Train for a race.

Build something from scratch.

Say yes to the thing that scares you.

Because deep down, you don’t want life to be easier.

You want to become someone who doesn’t need it to be.

Rooting for ya,

—Dodds

P.S. If you’re a founder, freelancer, or brand builder and want to learn how to grow your audience and business online without selling your soul — you can get on the waitlist for the next Story30 cohort here.