The Power of Discomfort: How a Polar Plunge in Greenland Taught Me to Stretch Beyond Fear

Have you accomplished a very difficult tasks that you really didn’t want to do?

Why We Dread Hard Things

Maybe you knew you had to do it, but fear was paralyzing you.

This past summer I had that opportunity by participating in a cold plunge in the frigid Atlantic Ocean in Greenland.

To get in the water wasn’t something I was particularly looking forward to, but I knew I had to do it. The mental preparation would be good for me. I had already been taking all cold showers starting in January, so a quick “bath” in the freezing Atlantic waters in Greenland couldn’t be that bad.

Or could it?

The day of the plunge the air and water temperature was 39 degrees, and the wind was blowing 24 knots. We were a 20-minute ride in a Zodiac inflatable raft from the ship and the hot tub to thaw us out. The sky was cloudy and taking the plunge meant removing all my winter gear, getting in the water for 45 seconds, going under then quickly drying off and getting dressed again.

Since it was announced on the cruise, I had been both dreading it yet kind of looking forward to it. I have learned so much from pushing myself to do hard things in the past and the mental discipline would produce rewards I could only experience by participating in the polar plunge.

Like many difficult tasks, the most difficult part of the task would be over quickly, but the benefits would last a lifetime.

Sometimes you must do hard things so that other seemingly difficult things become easier.

Maybe parachuting, bungee jumping, whitewater rafting, or scuba diving frighten you personally.

Professionally it might be fear of losing your job, making important decisions, making mistakes at work or public speaking (a common fear many share).

Kaitlin Woolley, associate professor at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, and Ayelet Fishbach, social psychologist at the University of Chicago, sought to study a way to help people advance goals that are challenging, such as public speaking.

Their study and field experiment, the first of its kind, was conducted at Chicago’s Second City, one of the most renowned improvisation clubs in the U.S.,

In their paper “Motivating Personal Growth by Seeking Discomfort,” published in Psychological Science on March 29, 2022, they found that seeking discomfort is motivating because people can tell when they feel uncomfortable and this “tangible feeling” of discomfort can lead to goal progress.

Woolley and Fishbach’s research confirmed it: when we pursue goals that make us uncomfortable, we create the conditions for real progress. Discomfort isn’t a warning – it’s evidence you’re stretching, learning, and expanding your capacity.

The cold plunge lasted 45 seconds. But the confidence, focus, and mental clarity it unlocked will last much longer.

The next time you face something hard, consider this: maybe the discomfort isn’t a barrier – it’s the invitation.

Jump in. You might be surprised by what waits on the other side.