why is this so uncomfortable?

Lately I’ve been doing yoga more.

Mostly I do it to maintain flexibility.

But I’ve found I get so much more out of it than that.

Sure, practicing yoga builds physical strength, balance, and endurance through taking its poses.

But through the controlled breathing and meditation, the goal is to calm your mind.

Sounds relaxing, right?

Well, yes and no.

As my wife’s favorite T-shirt says: “Yoga Hurts”.

When you watch people doing it, yoga looks positively blissful.

But holding yoga poses demands resilience.

Because the poses can be pretty uncomfortable.

The idea is to stretch yourself.

Push yourself beyond what is comfortable.

And then you look for calm and strength in the midst of that discomfort.

It takes practice.

Because you’re never perfect at it.

You wobble.

You lose your balance.

But you exhale and go deeper into the pose.

You concentrate on aligning your posture, following your breath, quieting your thoughts.

As entrepreneurial creatives and solopreneurs, we have a tendency to long for serenity and flow in our work.

We want it to be easy. And sometimes it is.

But sometimes it should hurt a little too.

That's because our professional growth demands regularly stretching past our comfort zones.

Leveling up involves continual practice at new skills.

So, let me ask you…

Is avoiding discomfort hampering your development?

Maybe you shy from pitching high-value clients, dreading potential rejection.

Perhaps imposter syndrome prevents you from applying for that dream job or killer media opportunity.

What ambitious muscle needs flexing outside your familiar poses?

Progress lives in the exhales, in the moments when you push yourself to go deeper.

With consistent effort, your confidence and abilities will blossom.

Because everything worthwhile necessitates stepping into uncertainty.

A little bit of wobble.

But with balanced guidance from mentors and peers you learn how strengthening happens.

New capacities emerge. You build muscle memory.

You find growth in the discomfort.

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resources

Meta's Imagine: Meta used 1.1 billion publicly visible Facebook and Instagram images to train the AI model. If you're on Facebook or Instagram, it's quite possible a picture of you helped train it.

Aragon AI: Create stunning realistic AI photos of yourself that look like they were taken by a professional photographer. They say it's great for LinkedIn and it definitely has a business-y aesthetic to it.

Amazon Titan: Amazon is hopping aboard the artificial intelligence image generator train, unveiling its own tool that transforms text prompts into striking visuals.

Grok: Grok uses X to inform its answers by trawling through user posts on the platform, which unsurprisingly leads to a more sarcastic response. Given the dumpster fire X is today...it makes sense.

LiveLink: AI clip Generator selects the best parts of your long-form videos and creates bite-sized shareable clips for TikTok, Reels, etc.

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recommended

“The Future 100: 2024” is an indispensable guide to the coming year. A bumper tenth anniversary edition, with special additions including bespoke research, expert predictions and a new “Innovation” section that looks to an exciting new future beyond 2024. READ IT

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watch

In my opinion, being a graphic designer is the best job in the world. With the Creator Economy in full swing, if you're a creative pro, you better be the best you can be to stand out from the crowd. WATCH IT

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creators

If you create content, Kajabi's annual Creator Report is packed with insights to take you to new heights this year! They surveyed thousands of creators to understand their strategies, behaviors and mindset. READ IT

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listen

Running a branding is a complicated thing. In this video I outline the exact steps that go into running a successful design project. LISTEN

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coaching

At a crossroads in your business and not sure what the next right step is?

Pivoting mid-career and need guidance on which way to go and how to get there?

Struggling with a decision about your portfolio, social media presence, content creation, networking or how to attract the clients you want and deserve?

Let's get you back on track with a clear plan of action and new-found confidence to more forward. Read what others are saying about coaching with me.

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books

In a remarkable first book, my friend Ian Paget does a masterful job of weaving personal stories with advice on design, tools, managing your time, and building a business. BUY IT

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quote of the week

"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing." ~Wernher von Braun, Rocket Scientist 1912-1977

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join Bonfire

The Mastermind Community for Established Creative Pros

The moment you join, you get:

• 2x month group coaching sessions with Philip
• Exclusive online community
• Peer support to share ideas, support, and accountability
• The F.I.R.E Milestone Success Map
• 2x month Open Office Hours informal hangout time
• Huge Library of tools, templates, worksheets and downloads
• Exclusive discounts on Brand Strategy 101
• Visiting Experts
• iOS and Android mobile app
• ...and much more

LEARN MORE

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courses

Brand Strategy 101, our signature course shows you exactly how to use proven strategic branding processes with your clients so you can land bigger projects, increase your fees, get paid for thinking and become a highly valued business partner

7 Modules, 25 Lessons, 24 Strategy Tools downloads, and 8+ hours of instructional videos.

When you enroll you get immediate, life-time access to all the course videos, checklists, downloadable tools and resources.

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resources we recommend

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Philip VanDusen is a branding consultant and principal of Verhaal Brand Design, an agency that leverages strategy and design to build brand equity for companies and entrepreneurs. Get more from Philip by subscribing to his email list, the brand•muse newsletter, his industry leading YouTube channel or the Brand Design Masters podcast.