This is where performative hustle leads: burnout and decay.
Most entrepreneurs are chasing discomfort.
They’re grinding 80-hour weeks, saying yes to every opportunity, and wearing exhaustion like a badge of honor.
But here’s the truth: not all discomfort creates growth. Some of it is just self-sabotage with better PR.
The Discomfort Nobody Wants (But Everyone Needs)
When I hit 750k in revenue, I thought I’d finally made it.
Instead, I found myself answering client emergencies at 2 AM, managing a team that had outgrown my leadership, and realizing I’d built a really big job—not a business.
The most uncomfortable thing I could do? Fire my biggest client.
They made up 18% of our revenue and 70% of our AR delinquencies. They drained our time, crushed morale, and reminded me every week that we were replaceable.
But they were long-time clients—people I started with. And losing $180K in revenue felt scarier than staying stuck in a business I was starting to resent.
That’s the wrong kind of discomfort—the kind that feels like sacrifice but is actually fear disguised as loyalty.
The right kind? Hitting “send” on the termination email.
We lost 18% of revenue overnight. Six months later, we replaced it with three clients who valued our work, paid on time, and respected the team.
The choice is within. Strategic growth or self-sabotage?
Research Backs This Up
A 2024 Harvard Business Review study of 1,200 scaling companies found that businesses embracing strategic discomfort—decisions aligned with their values and vision—grew 34% faster than those chasing performative discomfort—busywork disguised as progress.
The difference? Strategic discomfort has ROI. Performative discomfort just has an audience.
The Real Discomfort Test
❌ Wrong Discomfort (Performative):
Working weekends because you won’t delegate
Taking clients outside your lane just for the cash
Attending every networking event but neglecting your systems
Posting about “hustle” while your operations are on fire
✅ Right Discomfort (Strategic):
Raising your prices and losing price-sensitive clients
Saying no to good deals that don’t align with your goals
Having tough talks with underperforming teammates
Building systems that slow you down short-term but scale you long-term
Investing in yourself when the ROI isn’t instant
The pattern’s simple: Strategic discomfort feels like losing something small today to gain something transformational tomorrow.
What I’m Seeing Right Now
The decision you're avoiding is the key to your next breakthrough.
Last month, I asked 20 entrepreneurs in my network to name their biggest source of stress.
Almost all of them described problems that could disappear with one tough decision:
“I need to fire this person.”
“I need to niche down.”
“I need to raise my prices.”
“I need to walk away from this partnership.”
We’re not avoiding discomfort. We’re avoiding the kind that would actually change our situation.
Your Assignment This Week
Find the uncomfortable decision that would simplify your business and strengthen your peace of mind.
Not the hustle-harder discomfort. The strategic one.
Here’s where to start:
If you’re overwhelmed: → What client or commitment could you cut to reclaim 10+ hours a week?
If you’re underpaid: → What price increase are you postponing?
If you’re stuck: → What investment in yourself feels “too expensive” but would actually move you forward?
If you’re scattered: → What product or service is stealing your focus from what really works?
Make that decision this week—not later.
Because the next version of your business isn’t waiting on the other side of more hustle. It’s waiting on the other side of the decision you’ve been avoiding.
Talk soon, John
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