Do New Processes Make You Uncomfortable?

It wasn't my idea, but the romance of it captured me. He had painted the picture for me: the snow softly falling in the warmth of the sun as we clutch hot chocolate in our hands watching his favorite hockey team play outdoors in an ice rink created in Yankee Stadium...fans cheering...hockey being played the way it was meant to be played before technology intervened...in the elements.

Me: Freezing. Him: In bliss.

Reality nipped at my fingertips and toes as the game started. We had arrived in New York ready for the NHL Stadium Series experience and I quickly realized that I needed more than a small cup of hot chocolate, more like a tub of it, in which I could immerse myself in order to avoid freezing to death in the below freezing temperatures.

I watched as ice crystals formed in the soda we'd purchased. My many layers were nothing compared to the biting cold and the falling snow that stuck to my clothes. My body temperature was dropping below comfort, but I forced myself to smile as I rocked back and forth trying to feel my feet.

How many times have you found yourself in a similar situation in your association? You looked forward to a new process or project, romanticizing the experience in your mind and then dealing with the discomfort as reality hit, gritting your teeth through it all because you were sure you'd be better off for it.

What could you have done to better prepare for this discomfort?

1. Effectively planned to provide for your comfort better - maybe allowed for more time in a project or planned for more help
2. Talked to more people who had done the same thing before - perhaps they could prepare you for things to watch out for or provide you with helpful tips
3. Had more realistic expectations - you might not be so uncomfortable if you had a realistic idea of what to expect

I survived my frigid excursion and made happy memories in the process, but I could have made things infinitely more comfortable for myself if I'd done a better job planning ahead. What are your tips for preparing for a new process or project?