The Three Types of Zones-How to expand your Comfort Zone?

Feeling stuck!

Are you tired, restless yet desperate for a big change in your life?

If your answer is yes, the first thing you will certainly need to do is to check your own comfort zone. Having said that, I mean the size of your comfort zone. Yes, you heard that right. We all operate in different zones as human beings. What may be a comfort zone for me may not necessarily be the same comfort zone for you and vice-versa. But, the problem is not whether or not you are in your comfort zone or not. In fact, being in your comfort zone and afraid to break or expand it may be a real problem.

Interesting, huh?

There are three types of zones we all operate in-

Comfort zone-the zone we love the most because we do not have to act or pretend in any way being in our comfort zone.

Let me explain this more clearly. Think of your biggest strengths in life possibly a skill you have mastered. Remember, I used the term ‘mastered’.So, the skill you choose should be at your fingertips. It could be any skill such as driving, cooking or even teaching or mentoring. Now, if I’ll ask you to use that skill, you might operate in different zones. If you do it all by yourself with no one around, you may be most comfortable. However, if you do the same in front of a camera or a  few people around watching you, you may hesitate a little bit. This is because when you break your comfort zone, it causes a certain level of distress initially. But, does it mean that you should never break your comfort zone?

Staying in the comfort zone will not result in any major achievements in your life. Success comes to those who are bold enough to expand their comfort zones by putting in regular practice and hard work. So, should you take on challenging tasks that fear you the most?

Yes and no.

It is always better to come out of your comfort zone and be in a learning zone before you opt for a task that would otherwise make you panic.

 Now, what the hell is this learning zone?

I remember when I first learnt driving, it sounded almost like a disaster for me. I fell off my bike at least half a dozen times but it was an experience which minimised the distress level as time went by. The first time was a minor fracture whereas later it reduced to a minor injury or just a scratch. It was then I realised that when we use a skill, we all operate in life zones that either make us comfortable or causes distress. Back then, my driving coach monitored me and asked me to drive in a safe place preferably a  playground before I take my bike to a fully crowded place. Had I chosen to quit the learning process in between, I would have never learnt how to drive a bike.

Now, if a person asks me to do different stunts with my bike, I will most probably not grin and agree to what he asks me to do. Instead, I will be reluctant to do so and end up addressing him as crazy like any average human.

Have you got my point when I said that I will not go for bike stunts even though I know how to drive a bike?

Well, the answer is obvious. I will be in a great panic as I will be doing something completely unfamiliar to me for the first time. Driving may now lie in my comfort zone but it does not mean that bike-stunting will lie too. It is an extension of the driving skill and will demand modification from my subconscious mind too.

Conclusion-

We cannot live our entire lives staying in our comfort zone.

Neither can we take on challenging tasks without practicing the skills that it demands.

What should we actually do?

We should keep expanding our comfort zone by first getting into the learning zone and practice skills and gain mastery over them. As we do this, we will find that our comfort zone is growing whereas our panic zone is shrinking.