Think about the first time you tried something new—whether it was riding a bike, learning an instrument, or giving your first big presentation. I can still remember the first time I was asked to sing a small solo in front of our church. I was probably about twelve years old. My knees were shaking so much that I could see the skirt of my dress moving. Somehow, I got through it. But discomfort was my companion. My heart raced, my palms were sweaty, and I’m sure I made mistakes. But those mistakes were necessary to master the skill any type of performance.
At mid-career or halftime, we sometimes forget that discomfort is still a teacher. We think we should already 'know it all.' Yet, if we never step into the uncomfortable, we never expand our potential. Growth and comfort rarely coexist. We have to become comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Why Change Feels Harder Mid-Career
- 'Why would you leave a good job now?'
- 'Isn’t it too late to start over? Especially with the growth of AI!'
- 'What if it doesn’t work out? What will you do then?'
These voices—whether external or internal—can make us hesitate. Yet, the discomfort of change is not a sign of failure. It’s proof that you’re moving beyond the familiar. My husband reminds me now and then that one of the hardest sales you will ever make is to yourself. I’ve had to personally reaffirm that in my life.
Stories of Midlife Reinvention
Principles For Becomming Comfortable with the Uncomfortable
ONE: Reframe Discomfort as Progress
Instead of seeing discomfort as a red flag, recognize it as evidence you’re moving forward. Much like a muscle that aches after exercise, discomfort signals growth.
Application: Keep a 'discomfort journal.' Each week, write down one situation that felt uncomfortable and what you learned from it. I keep a “small miracle” list and each time I review it, it affirms how small steps and miracles lead to larger outcomes.
TWO: Anchor to Your Core Values
Change can shake your routines, titles, or even your sense of identity. What remains steady are your core values. Your values become your compass in uncertain waters. Check out the appendix of my book Stop Circling on core values. It will help you review and even update your core values in two main areas: faith and character. This is especially relevant at the halftime of life.
Application: List your top 3–5 values. When discomfort rises, check your decisions against these.
THREE: Build a Circle of Trust
Going through change alone amplifies fear. Surround yourself with people who believe in reinvention and resilience. I write about relationship circles in my book Women at Halftime. Understand that those circles may change somewhat through different stages of your life but developing a close circle is extremely important and beneficial.
Application: Identify one mentor, one peer, and one accountability partner who will walk with you through your transition.
FOUR: Take Small-Brave Steps
Discomfort often feels overwhelming when we only focus on the big picture. Break it down into small, brave actions. A new physical workout is a great illustration of this. When training for our recent biking trip, biking from Madrid, Spain to Porto, Portugal, we trained not only on a stationary bike, but outdoors on local small hills. It paid off immensely with a safe and very enjoyable trip.
Application: Each week, commit to one 'micro-brave' step that nudges you closer to your goal.
FIVE: Trust the Long Game
Discomfort isn’t forever. It’s a season. Like planting seeds in the ground, growth may be invisible at first, but it’s happening. We see this every year in our yard. Grapes that we trim back to look like mere sticks in the ground end up overflowing with vines and an abundance of delicious grapes. Watching this type of growth is a great place to be encouraged with this growth principle.
Application: When discomfort feels overwhelming, remind yourself: This is temporary. Growth is underway.
*Click on image to get FREE download!
Practical Applications for Work and Life
In Your Career
- If you’re considering a job change, resist clinging to the familiar just for security. Research, learn new tools, and practice networking. Online courses are abundantly available all over the world and in every language.
- If you’re staying in your career but want more fulfillment, propose new projects that stretch your abilities. Also, don’t hesitate to get help with this process, especially to think and plan. (See Hero Mountain Summit)
In Relationships
Midlife often brings shifts in family roles: children leaving home, aging parents needing care, or new dynamics with a spouse. Lean into the discomfort of changing roles by focusing on empathy, communication, and flexibility. I am constantly reminded of this as we now have adult children. Our communication style is much different than when our sons were growing up. This has been a mindset shift for me, but a very rewarding one in many ways.
In Personal Growth
Try something you’ve always been curious about—painting, writing, public speaking, or traveling solo. These pursuits not only expand your skills but remind you that reinvention can be joyful. There are so many travel opportunities. One of our favorite active travel groups is Backroads Tours.
The Gift of the Uncomfortable
Here’s the truth: life doesn’t get easier by avoiding discomfort. It gets richer when we embrace it. Discomfort is often the doorway to discovering the purpose and passion we’ve been circling around for years.
When you become comfortable with the uncomfortable, you stop running from change and start running toward possibility. Even some songs remind us of this. One that I wrote is “The Hero Inside.” The lyrics “Standin’ in the food line, humbled to the core, not doin’ what you’ve worked hard for” were written in response to a good friend, an engineer, who was facing a difficult time in his life as he had lost his job and he found himself scrambling to feed his family. The outcome though is that he reinvented his life and is doing very well. It pushed him toward that reinvention.t here...
Application: Final Takeaways
1. Discomfort is not a warning—it’s a signal of growth.
2. Your values anchor you when everything else feels uncertain.
3. Community strengthens resilience.
4. Small brave steps compound into big results.
5. Trust the process. Discomfort is temporary, but growth is lasting.
At halftime in life, many people settle. They circle within comfort zones, hoping stability will protect them from change. But the truth is, the second half of your life can be your most powerful chapter—if you’re willing to embrace discomfort.
So today, don’t fear the unfamiliar. Step into it. Lean into it. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Because on the other side of that discomfort may be the very life you were meant to live.
Additional Resources
Stop Circling: Steps to Escape Endless Roundabouts by Deborah Johnson
Women at Halftime: Principles for Producing Your Successful Second Half by Deborah Johnson
Hero Mountain Summit: Power of After 5-Step Framework: A 5-month entrepreneurial mentorship designed to help mid-life professionals break free from stagnation and rise toward purposeful success.
The Hero Inside album: see it on DJWorks Music page here: https://djworksmusic.com/products/
FREE Downloads: Goal Setting Worksheets
FREE Resources and links: https://GoalsForYourLife.com/DJWorks
YouTube Podcast Playlist: Women at Halftime/Power of After
If we never step into the uncomfortable, we never expand our potential. Growth and comfort rarely coexist.
deborah johnson
Thought Leader, Keynote Speaker, Author
If you are interested in growing and learning, check out our online courses here: Online Learning
1,529 words
