For the past six months our global community has been affected by an aggressive global health pandemic that has many of us in a state of constant discomfort and stress. Our economy has suffered as many businesses remain closed or are operating at minimal capacity. We have been isolated from our friends, family, and neighbors, and there is so much uncertainty as the world's top researchers and scientists work around the clock to understand more about COVID-19 and possible solutions to combating the virus.

Witnessing the stress, pain, and irritation that many are facing around the world as we navigate the unknown, has reminded me that times like this-when we are uncomfortable, stressed, and anxious-are the times that we have the ability to rise above it all and thrive. In 2018 I gave a TED Talk on this exact topic.

We live in a society where talking about discomfort, pain, stress, and irritation are signs of weakness. We don't want others to view us as inadequate, so we put on a show to mask these feelings out of fear. Sharing a connection with someone, whether it is a friend or colleague, means showing your true, authentic self. I have come to realize that my life experiences have provided me a stepping stone, preparing me for my current role as a leader and mentor to those within my company and to those around the world. Had I not been completely forthcoming about my past pitfalls and mistakes, I could not have built the relationships I have today, and my business would be far less successful.

I can start by sharing my first experience in truly understanding what it means to feel uncomfortable. I was a child on the bad side of a divorce and living with my father and brother in a small room of an apartment. The apartment was shared by drug and alcohol abusers and not the environment my father wanted for us, but also it was the only one he could afford at the time. Our room only had one bed and one night I asked my father who should have the bed that night. He looked me right in the eyes and told me that I should take it because he liked the draft of sleeping on the floor. It was in an instant that I understood the pain, stress, and uncomfortableness that my father felt, but would never admit to.

Just a few years ago, I decided to challenge myself physically and swim across the Channel from Portsmouth to Isle of Wight. The week of the event, the swim was postponed as two swimmers died from jellyfish stings. The next weekend, I showed up to the water's edge and only six of twenty participants joined me. I learned prior to getting into the water that there was a shark warning and many swimmers bowed out. On top of it all, the weather was treacherous with heavy winds causing crashing waves all around. Through and through, I pushed myself more physically and mentally than I had in my life. I finished the race!

Being uncomfortable and submerging ourselves into the deepest, darkest, hardest place in our lives is where many of us begin our journey of success. When we are handed a situation where we must either sink or swim, it is dire that we muster up our strength and courage and tread that water like our lives depend on it.

One of my favorite analogies about growth takes us back to the sea, talking about one hard-shelled sea animal-the lobster. Lobsters are hard on the outside and soft and mushy on the inside. When a lobster is growing, it becomes stressed and uncomfortable. It hides away as it sheds its hard, outer shell and waits in the darkness until it has grown a new one. The same can be said for humans. When we feel irritable, stressed, and uncomfortable, we feel there is something wrong, so we hide away. The reality is though, we are growing and changing and instead of suppressing those feelings of discomfort, we should embrace them and learn how we are changing and growing to fit our new environment.  

So how can we come out of this global health crisis on top? Embrace the change. Embrace the discomfort. Your hardships will define you, so let the definition be that of action and triumph.

We are so ingrained in the negative thoughts of failure, that we don't see the potential of victory. If you truly want to succeed, you will take the risk. But do not take the risk recklessly. Be proactive in planning. Plan for success and plan for failure. If you succeed, you have done it! If you fail, you will not be caught off guard and the plan you set in place will keep you on the forward path.

People will usually focus on the cost of the action rather than the cost of inaction. But, what would happen if I didn't start my business? What would happen if I didn't believe in myself?

I have created over 60 jobs, built new and innovative technology, and helped small businesses grow with less volatility. If I had not taken the risk in leaving my job at the bank for pursuing my dreams, then the environment around me would look completely different and my influence on others would be far less.

Three takeaways that I believe are fitting no matter the situation of change:

1. Give it time.

2. Find what makes you uncomfortable and learn from it.

3. Take the leap.

If you constantly make easy choices, you will likely have a hard life. If you make some tough, hard choices, life will become easier. Go out and believe in yourself, look at what makes you uncomfortable because you could thrive in it. Thrive to be uncomfortable.

About Samuel Leach

Samuel Leach is the founder and CEO of Samuel & Co. Trading where he leads a team of more than 60 financial analysts in daily FX and stock trading actions. Leach started investing while attending university and before graduation, he turned a £2,000 investment into more than £170,000 with no professional trading experience.

Prior to founding Samuel & Co. Trading, Leach achieved success in his role at private bank, C. Hoare & Co. as a project manager, excelling in tech solutions. Samuel & Co. Trading launched in 2012 and has since become internationally recognized for its successful training program.

The company has trained over 3,000 individuals from 63 countries, providing exceptional instruction to anyone that has a passion for stocks and trading. Leach is the Director of Samuel and Co Trading and has built his trading training programs based on his own trading principles and algorithms that led to his own success within the market.

Samuel Leach is among the top youngest self-made millionaires in the U.K. He is an accomplished public speaker and author. He published his first book, The Formula for Success: How to Win at Life Using Your Own Personal Algorithm in July 2019. In 2019 he and his company launched a YouTube Series called The Real Forex Trader Series, a reality-style series that takes non-experienced individuals and teaches them the ins and outs of FX and stock trading.