There’s a lot of life out there for those willing to get even a little bit uncomfortable.

For four years now I’ve lived 10 minutes from Huntington Beach in Southern California and been paying a premium for it. My lifestyle hasn’t been that different than if I lived somewhere with cheap housing and poor weather though. I’d hardly ever go to the beach, and when I did, rarely walked on the sand, and never once went into the water.

To park for free you have to walk a few streets. If you walk on the sand your feet will get dirty. If your feet touch the water the sand will stick and you’ll have to rinse it off later. You’ll be wet and uncomfortable on the drive home. If you swim… wait, why would you even think about swimming? The water is always FREEZING!

Fortunately I came to my senses a few weeks ago. I realized how crazy it is that I don’t take advantage of my incredible surroundings. Going to the beach doesn’t have to be some planned out, cumbersome, full-day event that can only happen on a weekend. With a 20 minute (max) round trip drive, I can take a time slot as small as 30 minutes and have a worthwhile trip to the beach. With an hour I can easily have time to go in the water and catch some waves body surfing. I can wake up early and go before work. I can go during my lunch break when working from home. I can go after work when working from home.

Inspired, I went to the beach and walked along the shore during lunch. The water (which I just always assumed was too cold unless it was blazing hot out) felt so great I came back the very same day after work – I had to go in. The sun was still out and water was just fine. I took my time walking back and stopped by a local surf store. I talked to the owner for a bit as I looked around and got excited about trying surfing locally, which I had only ever tried before on vacation. I messaged my good friend Erik who I know surfs and now I’ve started going with him which has been awesome.

My experience of living at the beach is completely different now because of being willing to get just a little “uncomfortable”. Maybe we should be uncomfortable about what our unwillingness to get uncomfortable is holding back from us. Get a little uncomfortable. You might just find it’s well worth it.