The Discomfort Zone: How to Get What You Want by Living Fearlessly

by Farrah Storr

'Honest, witty and insightful' Emma Gannon'A brilliant, useful book' Dawn O'Porter'Farrah has written a book about the things no one wants to talk failure, discomfort, and how to deal with both' Sophia Amoruso, author of #GirlbossWhile it is human nature to shy away from things that are outside of our comfort zone, it is only by spending time in our discomfort zone that we can grow, and improve, and realise our full potential. Whether it's putting yourself forward for a new challenge, asking for difficult feedback, nailing a presentation or getting a dream job, in this book Farrah Storr shows how you have to push through what she calls "brief moments of discomfort" in order to get to where you need to be.Farrah describes these brief moments of discomfort as "like HIIT training for your life" - and shows how the more you force yourself into them, the easier it will get. This book is full of advice, practical exercises and examples both from Farrah's own life and career and from all sorts of other successful people, from athletes to entrepreneurs.By adopting the brief moments of discomfort, or BMD method, you will soon understand that nothing in life is an insurmountable challenge, only a series of small, uncomfortable tests that can easily be overcome. Once you have used Farrah's techniques to transform your fear into bite-size, manageable pieces, you'll be able to take on anything. In fact, in time, you'll even begin to enjoy these moments. When you explore your discomfort zone, you'll find that anything is possible.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development, Psychology, Audiobook, Business

223 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 27, 2018

Reviews

[Xia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique, insightful, refreshing and strangely comforting a read in times of difficulty.

Farrah's perspective is helpful in realising how to grow and different ways of overcoming hurdles, the stories of people shared along the way serve as an inspiration, and her successes nonetheless. With this being newly published, the examples provided are highly relevant and relatable - an engaging read. Perhaps one of the best self-help books in awhile!

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Practical and full of advice. My favourite and most useful section was chapter 8 (9 on Audible) - Embracing Smart Failure. Will return to the book when I feel I need a bit of a push in an area of my life.

[Sara Kindlan-Arnison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was t to sure what to expect from this book, however, Farrah wrote this book in such a way it made you realise what you could be missing out on in life. Even the most confident of people would benefit from this book. It gives real examples and make you think about how your life can be improved in so many areas.

[Lindsay Lexii · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book with a lot of real life examples, however it made me feel like the author only has famous people examples, showing off a bit about her acquaintances. But the book is a really good and inspiring read overall!
What I liked the most was the conclusion part at the end - it was super inspiring!!

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides advice on handling difficult / intimidating situations, principally focused on the workplace with a view to making more progress in your career.

I found a lot of this book useful – it gave a few practical tips which is unusual for a self-help book, but I found parts of this book (for example the prologue) a bit woolly.

Overall rating 3.5

[Cristina Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has given me a lot of food for thought. I would particularly recommend it to anyone with an entrepreneurial itch. Farrah explains the importance of embracing discomfort and how to turn it into a motivation rather than a threat. Great read👌

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a David Goggins, embrace the pain type book and was way off. This was actually about facing social discomfort and fear of failure that may be holding you back. I actually got a lot out of it despite having no clue what it was about going in.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of it is just good basic advice, but I find it helpful, and the explanation of repurposing stress physiology to be useful was something I find very valuable.

[Marius CEO · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing. Yet the intrigue does not last past the halfway point. I found it rather repetitive in the second half.

[Claudia Juncu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read the book halfway before deciding to stop. While I recognize that the author draws from personal experiences and offers some insights on dealing with discomfort, I often felt a sense of immaturity in her perspective. Many situations she describes—like arriving at a conference and only then learning she had to speak in front of 20,000 people—seemed avoidable with just a bit of preparation or by asking basic questions beforehand. The discomfort, in such cases, felt self-inflicted.

The language at times felt juvenile, as though written by someone in their early twenties eager to share what they've learned, but without the depth or refinement to support it. The structure of the book also left me wanting more clarity. Rather than guiding the reader through a coherent path—introducing a concept, explaining how to apply it, then building on it—it felt more like a collection of loosely connected stories.

That said, I did take away a few useful ideas that I plan to try out. However, they could have easily been presented in a more concise format, without stretching over so many pages

[Kamp Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents the opportunity for the reader to examine their own limitations and how they respond to what they perceive as an obstacle. Reading it reminder me that it is all in our heads, what we even consider to be a challenge and then how we choose to respond to the distress. The book also presents the notion that discomfort is apart of life.. you have to be uncomfortable at some point in order to grow. It also speaks about why some "common" situations can be more uncomfortable for some vs others.
A few suggestions I learned from the book and plan to include into my own life is the implementation of a care coach and also changing my attitude when it comes to receiving feedback. Its not only important to receive feedback but also important to choose carefully who you receive it from.

The last major takeaway I gather from the reading is to consider how I respond to failure. Is it something I fear? Something I avoid? The author provides the perspective to appreciate the lessons one can learn from failing and the value in trying in the first place.

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once more, this book is from the Malcolm Gladwell school of 'research.' One data point - and one story - is rendered significant.

But there are some significant mantras to discover and consider in this book. The pursuit of easy absolutes. The building of entire industries to block ourselves from experiencing stress, discomfort, confusion or fear. There was also a profound discussion of obstacles and their role in our lives: "blaming the obstacle is easy - and deadly."

This book serves a singular and important function, exploring how to give discomfort meaning. It probes how we can enjoy the failure and consider success in a different way. Learning becomes a modality of success.

[Isaac Tanner-dempsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like we'd been invited us all inside her diary and her life. All the stories she told seemed to be what she has learnt in her own life. This gives it some weight but makes it difficult to adapt to your own situation. Felt like I was reading her extremely well edited diary entries. Arranged in such a way that the discomfort zone was front and center.

Takeaways
Being out of your comfort zone with the right frame of mind is where you grow and develop. Don't be afraid, discomfort doesn't last long if you imbrace it.

Ask a college to be your coach, ask for brutal honesty. Meet with them regularly.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Encouraging motivation with some helpful methods for handling fear and discomfort. Methods you might consider basic? Maybe. Methods that could be pivotal to hear at the right time? Definitely. Visualizations, having a clear plan, working through and rationalizing your fears, and how high achievers utilize discomfort were some of the topics covered.

[Laura Pettitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. An easy to read book, written in a conversational style and full of great stories to bring key points to life.

Reading this book has given me some much needed inspiration and practical ways to make the most out of my discomfort zone. I am feeling energised about adopting the BMD method in 2023!

[Lily Maxwell · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of the book is what drew me in, it was advertised as life changing so obviously thought it would help. However it wasn’t entirely revolutionary. The ideas are good but the methods aren’t entirely new. The writing itself was difficult to digest at points and could’ve been organised better. Really appreciated the words from some interesting interviewees though :) !!

[Jamilah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Farrah Storr is so cool and I like the bits of the book when she described more of who she is by telling stories of her past.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was completely forgettable. I think it’s quite common sensical that we need to enter our discomfort zone to make progress and it didn’t feel relevant to my life.

[Leo Africanus · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging literary kick up the backside.

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very basic, not very academic about PTSD and trauma more like an extended magazine article

[Sahil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insights and the BMD method is really actionable, thank you!

[Bianca M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading some parts of the chapters. The ones that in my opinion contained good reminders such as “you can’t control someone else’s behaviour” or “you can only really go through good discomfort if you feel in control” and stories with and about people who succeeded, stories that made me feel hopeful and positive.

On the other hand, I did not like that some of the comments or stories were really judgy, for example the one where she is telling about her past where she was a good runner, while the girl who was there with her somehow underestimated her..anyhow I cringed while reading this story and some others seem a bit far-fetched.

[Judy Jiang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in 2019.
I was very fortunate to read this book when I was considering starting a new career. It was an inspiration to me and really helped me to embrace the fear to walk out of my comfort zone.
Farrah Storr has shared her stories honestly including her background, career, failure, the things she used to be afraid of and how she becomes to embrace the fears and still do it. She also provided examples from famous people. However, I found that her own stories and stories from normal people (e.g. the female firefighter) are more inspiring and resonating.
Her intention is clear - to encourage people step out their discomfort zone to achieve what they want.
The BMD method helps in some ways. However, we all have different careers, different personalities, and different backgrounds, so we will need to adapt the method in our own unique way to make it suit us. Even though, It is an good starting point to understand why we need to be in the discomfort zone and how we can prepare ourselves for it. If we want to get what we want and live fearlessly, we have to keep on stepping out of comfort zone and challenge ourselves.

"I wanted more out of life and, besides, I felt there was more of me to give. "

"That is what stepping into your discomfort zone gives you: real, true strength.”

"But I say you can't open up your world unless you're willing to push down the door that allows you access in the first place."

"…nothing is all pain. Nothing is all fear. And nothing is ever worth swerving if you want to have a rich, full life."

"I am an average journalist. I am an okay editor. I am not the world's best public speaker. But what I will do that most people won't is that: I step into my discomfort zone every single week."

What inspiring me the most in this book is her courage and determination.

I recommend this book to people who are exploring new beginnings. This book would definitely give you a little push to your discomfort zone and help you move forward wisely and confidently.

[Deepak Singh Bisth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I realized early in life the effects of discomfort and the dangers of the comfort zone.

I developed the mantra " Get comfortable with the uncomfortable "

The question is how?

This book is the answer, I am fortunate to come across it and vow to implement the lessons in my life.

Highly recommended!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this one of the easiest books to read in this genre, the case studies/ stories within were interesting, informative and like mini stories within the book. I also didn’t feel like the book repeated the same thing over and over again. There were new ideas and ways to explore different comfort zones. An enjoyable read with a soft but important message.

[Charlie Howorth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the reading recommendations from the QSIR course.

Its a really easy read and a really good look at getting yourself out of the comfort zone....