LEARNING TO STRETCH

LEARNING TO STRETCH

All growth is personal.?Even if it’s professional, it’s personal.

Most people never learn how to stretch themselves.?They stay in their comfort zones never venturing out of the cocoons they have spun for themselves.?It is really unfortunate because greatness in any form is always found outside the comfort zone.

Think about the stretch this way?There are three circles each inside of the next.?The innermost circle represents your comfort zone.?It is where you are comfortable working and what you are comfortable doing.?It is familiar territory that is totally safe.?As long as you are in your comfort zone you might be happy, but you will never grow.

To better understand the comfort zone, think of children.?They learn to crawl, walk, run, ride a bicycle, read, write and speak amongst many other things.?Imagine a young child getting to a point where he is too comfortable to try anything new.?He is quite satisfied where he is and doesn’t need to grow anymore.?Can’t you see him at 40 years old crawling into a meeting??Children are naturally willing and excited to push out of the comfort zone.?They attempt to walk hundreds of times before they finally get it.?Children do not get discouraged; they know if they keep working at it they will ultimately be successful.?They are not limited by the comfort zone at all.

The outer circle of our three rings is?the panic zone. It is a number of steps past our comfort zone.?It doesn’t create a small tension or anxiety, but total and complete overwhelm.?It is the place of the perceived impossible.?The panic zone is so titled because it invokes panic in the person pushing himself there.?It is too much of a stretch and unhealthy.

The circle in between the comfort zone and the panic zone is the sweet spot.?It is either called the learning zone or the growth zone.?This is the place where a person can stretch and grow.?It is where you can learn new skills.?This is where there is a little tension and discomfort, but it is not overwhelming.?The more time you spend here doing things that are a little uncomfortable, the greater your personal and professional growth.?It doesn’t always feel so safe, but you often have to close one door in order to open another.

There is a big change that happens in life between childhood and adulthood.?The child learning model is free of anxiety about failure.?It carries with it determination and integrity to finish the task.?Somewhere in our schooling and interaction, we become much more self-conscious.?We become fearful about making mistakes, but it is impossible to learn or grow without making some mistakes.?When we learn to fear making mistakes, we become afraid to try new things or new methods.?We adopt what I call the “adult” model of learning.?The adult learning model has 2 parts.?Either we disparage ourselves and say, “I should know how to do this” or we despair and say, “I am just no good at?_______ .”?Either way, we keep ourselves safely in the comfort zone.?We don’t stretch.?We don’t grow.?And then we get frustrated when we feel our lives are stagnant.

Here is the truth.?Every endeavor that you have ever embarked upon that has brought you pleasure, was the result of stepping outside of the comfort zone.??No exceptions!?

We have already discussed children learning to walk and talk.?How about proficiency in a sport or hobby??How long did it take you to excel??Did you golf par your first time out??When you bought your first car or home was there not some risk??When you had your first date with your spouse, was it risk free??How about getting married or having children??Moving to a bigger house??Changing jobs or careers??Anything that ever gave you great pleasure had risk attached to it.?I’m sure that you can think of some painful memories where you took the risk and it didn’t pay off.?You think back and laugh now, or maybe shake your head at your own stupidity.?Some risks that you’ve taken in the past might still cause anguish and grief.?But, the bottom line is,?you never experience the “thrill of victory” without the possibility of the “agony of defeat.”

Keeping yourself just out of the comfort zone is good business.?You will continue to stretch and grow.?Your comfort zone will grow.?In time your comfort zone will be where your growth zone was and ultimately, where your panic zone was.?You will have new growth and panic zones far beyond their original boarders.?However, with the growth in your comfort zone, you will have greater expertise and you will become more valuable.?You will increase your confidence and abilities and you will make more money and have more enjoyment.

This is a secret of leaders everywhere.?There is no such thing as standing still; either you are growing or atrophying.?Stagnant is stale and becomes yesterday very fast.?In our fast-paced society, change is happening so rapidly that the cliché “you snooze, you lose” was never more applicable.

Learn to love stretch and growth.?Look forward to the challenges and opportunities to step out of your comfort zone and embrace the new possibilities.?You might experience a little tension, but that is a very good sign.?When you don’t feel that tension, you are not growing – you are in your comfort zone.