President's Letter: Getting to Our Growth Zone

According to an article from Positive Psychology, the comfort zone is “a behavioral state within which a person operates in an anxiety-neutral condition, using a limited set of behaviors to deliver a steady level of performance, usually without a sense of risk.” Many of us enjoy the sense of content and predictability that our comfort zones provide. However, sometimes opportunities come along that can cause us to move into new spaces outside of our comfort zones. If you are a creature of habit, like me, the thought of stepping outside of your comfort zone is absolutely terrifying. But as life and business strategist Tony Robbins said, “All growth starts at the end of your comfort zone.”

Science tells us that as we evolve, we go through seasons of change and growth. And as we grow, we gain new insights and worldviews, while occasionally shedding old ones, and that is okay. The article from Positive Psychology further explains how growth is measured on a continuum, with a series of zones you must go through when stretching your comfort zone (see graphic below). The first zone we enter is the “Fear Zone” where we begin to second guess ourselves, make excuses and even lack self-confidence. After leaving the Fear Zone, we enter the “Learning Zone,” where we begin to notice the mindset shift and begin to see our challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Once we leave the Learning Zone, we enter the “Growth Zone,” and this is where the magic really starts to happen. It is here that we begin to realize the value of each zone and how it has helped us arrive at our optimal self, or what Dr. Abraham Maslow described as self-actualization.

To help reflect, here are a few Presidential Points to Ponder:

• Where are you on the comfort zone diagram?
• What is keeping you there?
• What is the worst thing that could happen if you choose to step outside of that zone?
• What is the best thing that could happen if you choose to step outside of that zone?

If there is one thing I have learned, it is that our biggest obstacle can sometimes be the person we see in the mirror every day. If that is you, my best advice is to get out of your own way! Start with acknowledging what zone you are currently in and recognize that feelings of fear and discomfort are all part of the process. My role as president of NCSCA has taught me a lot this year. One of the most important things I have learned is that growth, as scary as it can be, is essential to living your best life.

Contact Brittany Norman, NCSCA president, at president@ncschoolcounselor.org.
 

Source: Oliver Page, “How to Leave Your Comfort Zone and Enter Your ‘Growth Zone’”