Comfort Zone to Growth Zone
The idea of getting out of your comfort zone has been a very interesting topic for the past decades, especially among millennials and Gen-Z.
It is very simple; you know that you are comfortable with something or somewhere in your place right now, and you feel like you have to move on to something beyond your limit, expand the way you see the world, and understand that you can’t keep doing the same things all over again.
One of the best shots to experience this journey is to take a leadership role. I think if I am going to talk about leadership, then this article might go long and prospectively from different points of view. So, let me just focus on how the journey to expand your comfort zone will be.
- Comfort Zone
Feel safe and in control; I talked about the conscious discipline brain state model in a few articles behind this one and said that we must have experienced the feeling where we think it is best to feel safe. In that case, ask yourself, “am I safe” in doing the same things all over again, standing in this place tomorrow and the next day after tomorrow. These questions might help you to define the next zone before you expand your comfort zone…
2. Fear Zone
This is the time when you realize that you need to change, but you are afraid of change, especially if it is a big one. Be sure to focus on what you really want, because, in this space, you will be so redundant by others’ opinions; such as “I don’t want you to change :(“ or “you don’t need to change.”
Those opinions can be very good excuses to withdraw the intention to change (re: getting out of your comfort zone).
In this zone, I personally always practice not asking for others’ opinions that much when I need to change. Not because I don’t trust them but because I feel it is important to be confident about what you want to decide. Simply also because I don’t want to blame people when things go wrong in the future, which is a natural response from a human who accepts others’ suggestions.
Making a self-decision is hard, and the process after that is even harder.
3. Learning Zone
This is my favorite space when things go partially wrong or totally messed up. But you know what… that is just the way it is, and this is the time when you will be able to feel you have already come far beyond what you believe you can do.
Why? because you made your own decision, you know the consequence, and you are willing to take the responsibility to accept the fact that you need to work on the challenge caused by your own decision (adulting).
Like my favorite quotes from somewhere:
We are adulting not because we are aging, but because we take more responsibilities in life.
Be ready to hear your inner voice where you might say, “Argh, I should have listened to them,” or come from others who say, “you should have asked me first.”
That is cliche, normal, and that is okay. But, you need to keep going. You need to reflect on the challenge and learn from it, what you can revise, and find the plan B to get closer to the goals you wanted.
4. Growth Zone
The proudest zone yet addicting until you want to do it again and again, and it might become your culture of living. You understand the meaning of:
“getting out from comfort zone is not about how you get out, but how you enjoy the learning spaces during the challenge you faced in the process”
Then, you will be able to set new goals where you can be the person who is always craving to expand your comfort zone.
Where are you now?
