Allow friction to propel you forward.
When I was in elementary school I always received poor marks from my teacher's for talking too much. I remember one instance in fourth grade, I was sent to the back of the room for chatting and was separated from the rest of the class. It was not the place that any of the fourth graders wanted to end up.
This experience was humiliating and it definitely caused a lot of friction in the beginning of my fourth grade childhood.
Although this new seating chart posed an obstacle for me to communicate with others, the friction opened a door to innovate a new idea and pushed me to think outside the box. My 10 year old mind literally thought outside of the classroom box as I realized that my classroom, and the classroom next door shared a tight partition. My best friend, @kellydearth happened to be in the classroom next door and this partition happened to have a crack just big enough to pass notes. That crack in the wall was just inches from my desk at the back of the room.
For the months that followed, as I would sit alone in the back of the room, Kelly and I would pass notes back and forth to each other through that tiny little crack in the wall. That desk became my new favorite seating chart and a place I looked forward to each day.
What friction do you have in your life?
Whether you run a company, work from home, parent your kids or compete in a sport, we ALL have friction in our lives.
The question isn't whether we have friction or not, but rather, how will we choose to improve because of it?