Setting and achieving goals is a science. By that I mean that achieving a certain outcome, any outcome, has a specific formula behind it. It's the law of cause and effect in action. Anything can be achieved if the proper steps are taken. And the kicker is that many times we are fully aware of the necessary steps, yet we don't take them.

I am fortunate enough to belong to a personal development coaching group. In a recent discussion with the group I became aware of one key principle that has dramatically altered my own power to achieve.

It came in the form of a simple sentence. What was it that changed my results instantly? During this specific coaching session I heard, "You must get comfortable with being uncomfortable." This simple sentence carries with it a lot of weight.

You see, each one of us who are reaching for more, reaching outside the box, we already know what needs to be done in order to get our goals. In the rare instance when we are not completely satisfied with all the steps we need to take, we do know where we need to go to get that information.

But for the sake of argument, lets work with the premise that we are fully aware of what is needed to achieve a certain outcome. We set the goal. We are clear as to what we want. We know the specific steps we need to take. We set the deadline. Yet we derail our own efforts. Why is that?

The answer is in the fear of being uncomfortable. In order to get things we don't already have, we need to do things we haven't yet done. In that process, in the doing of things we haven't done is where that uncomfortable feeling hits us. When that happens we have two directions in which we may go. You can move forward and exercise your will, withstanding the feelings of discomfort. Or you can abandon the action, thereby stepping back into your comfort zone.

All our goals are to be found outside our current comfort zone. In fact, if your goal has no uncomfortable feelings, chances are you are not reaching out far enough. The key to realize here is that those uncomfortable feels are only temporary. In some cases they may be quick flashes of distress. Eventually something will hit you and you will come to realize the joy in the new action.

No one knows how long it will take. Could be a minute. Could be a year. How long it takes is greatly dependent on your own mental attitude. However the one thing we do know is that with each goal comes a point of uncertainty, of distress. Your ability to push through, to continue on beyond those feelings is the deciding factor on whether you reach your goal or you stay where you are.

The paradox is that your current comfort zone is not all that comfortable. If it were you wouldn't be looking to get more. So in reality, you are going to face discomfort either way. Your choice is whether you want to be uncomfortable in your present situation or if you are willing to feel a temporary discomfort to get to your goal.

Too many people live by the expression, "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't know." These are the people that live their lives avoiding uncertainty. They may be uncomfortable but at least they know what that feeling is like. They are afraid to venture on and experience more of life if they have to put themselves in any form of distress.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the difference between those who live their entire life in a meager existence and those who reach the summit. Commit yourself to reaching your summit. Commit to transform distress into success. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and your results in life will exceed your wildest imagination.