Comfort in Business isn’t a bad thing. In fact, comfort protects you. It gives you a sense of stability, routine, and safety, especially in an industry where you are constantly giving your energy, your focus, and your care to others. Comfort can be the deep breath between busy seasons, the familiar rhythm of your day, and the place you recover when you’ve poured out too much.
But comfort has a hidden danger: it can quietly become a permanent state of mind.
Comfort doesn’t ask you to stretch. It doesn’t challenge your habits. It doesn’t require you to grow. And if you stay there long enough, comfort can start to feel like “I’m stuck,” even when everything looks fine from the outside.
Why Comfort Feels So Safe
In the salon world, comfort often looks like this…speaking from experience;
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Keeping your prices where they’ve always been, because it’s easier than risking push-back
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Staying quiet online, because being visible feels uncomfortable
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Avoiding education, because you’re too busy (even though you know you need it)
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Letting clients cross boundaries, because conflict feels worse than resentment
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Doing the services you’re good at, but not the ones that could grow your income
Comfort is predictable. And predictable feels safe. Yet, predictable also has a ceiling.
Comfort protects your current life. Discomfort builds the future you keep thinking about.
Discomfort Isn’t a Sign You’re Failing
Discomfort gets mistaken for “something is wrong.” But most of the time, discomfort is simply the feeling of doing something new. It’s the shaky voice the first time you speak up. It’s the nerves you feel before raising your prices. It’s the awkwardness of marketing. It’s the discomfort of learning, changing, and stepping into a stronger version of yourself.
Discomfort doesn’t mean stop.
Discomfort often means you’re on the edge of growth.
And that edge? That’s where your next level is.
Two Discomforts You Want to Understand
Not all discomfort is the same, and knowing the difference keeps you protected.
Growth Discomfort feels like stretching. It’s uncomfortable, but it builds confidence and capacity.
Examples:
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Posting consistently even when you feel weird about it
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Raising prices and standing behind your value
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Learning a new skill that makes you more in demand
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Setting boundaries and enforcing policies
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Saying “no” without over-explaining
Warning Discomfort feels like depletion. It drains you, not strengthens you.
Examples:
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Dreading certain clients
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Working more but earning the same
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Discounting to keep peace
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Feeling resentment build week after week
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Being exhausted to the point you can’t recover
One discomfort builds your future.
The other is a signal to adjust.
The Growth You Want Requires a Version of You You Haven’t Met Yet
This is the part nobody says out loud: the future you want requires behaviors you may not feel comfortable doing today.
- If you want higher income, you’ll have to tolerate the discomfort of being seen as expensive.
If you want better clients, you’ll have to tolerate the discomfort of saying no to the wrong ones.
If you want confidence, you’ll have to tolerate the discomfort of doing things before you feel ready.
If you want freedom, you’ll have to tolerate the discomfort of building systems and habits that take effort upfront.
Comfort protects who you are now.
Discomfort creates who you’re becoming.
Small Discomfort, Big Results
You don’t have to overhaul your entire life to grow. You just have to choose one brave action at a time. In fact, the most powerful progress is usually quiet and consistent…not dramatic. I’ve always said…it’s a big elephant, it is impossible to eat it all in one bite.
CTA
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Choose one uncomfortable move per week
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Make it simple and specific
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Do it even if your confidence isn’t there yet
Examples:
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Post one photo and write one honest paragraph
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Raise one service by a small amount
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Create a clear policy and stick to it
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Invite a past client back with confidence
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Enroll in a class that strengthens your specialty
Discomfort in small doses builds momentum.
Momentum builds belief.
Belief builds your future.
Your Future Won’t Be Built in Your Comfort Zone
If you’ve been feeling restless, uninspired, or like you’ve outgrown your current routine. PAY ATTENTION. That feeling isn’t a flaw. It’s a signal. It’s your potential getting loud.
Comfort will keep you safe.
But discomfort will make you stronger, clearer, and more capable than you imagined.
If something feels uncomfortable right now… good. That might be the sound of your future being built.
Comfort protects you.
Yet discomfort builds your future.
CJ Murray, President
