When asked what the leading indicator is for someone’s life transforming, Joe’s answer is always the same: embracing intensity. Not creating intensity — but willingly going deep into the discomfort that’s already there.
“The leading indicator for somebody’s life transforming — it’s always embracing intensity.”
Someone compared the work to a teeth cleaning: “not entirely comfortable, but you feel so great afterwards.” The exercises that seem like a “nothing burger” at first glance become transformative when you sit in the discomfort and ask, “what is actually making this so uncomfortable?” Those feelings are the ones driving your life and blocking your growth.
This also means the defense mechanism of dismissal — “we’ve done something like this before, this isn’t going to be useful” — is itself the resistance to the intensity that would produce change.
Related Concepts
- Do the uncomfortable thing first
- Joy requires welcoming all emotions
- Embracing intensity means welcoming what’s already present, not manufacturing challenge
- Intensifying a feeling moves you through it rather than trapping you