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How to Step into Your Growth Zone

When you’re in your comfort zone, you’re generally satisfied and comfortable with life as it is. The issue is, when we are satisfied, we are less likely to seek out new opportunities. Feeling comfortable makes us feel safe. But, if we really want to push ourselves, we sometimes have to give up the feeling of comfort.  

We previously spoke about the growth zone in our article 3 Reasons to Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone and Into Your Growth Zone. Now that we have a better understanding of what a growth zone is, you may be wondering how you can move from your comfort zone to your growth zone. This article will show you exactly how.

Identify your Fears

The comfort zone is formed around what we perceive to be safe. There are benefits to the comfort zone such as feelings of security and control. Plenty of people do work well here. The problem is that many of the things which would make us happy involve a level of fear or anxiety. 
 

The first step to leaving your comfort zone is to identify your fears. Very often our fears are rooted in the fear of failure or rejection. What limitations have you placed on yourself? What lies outside of this imaginary zone? What exactly are you afraid of? 

Being able to understand your fears allows you to understand your choices better. It helps you to stop and question what you are doing and why. Having a strong understanding will motivate you to move into the fear zone. 

The first step is to identify your fears.

Accept Failure

The fear zone is the step in between the comfort and the learning zone. “To reach this zone of fear and evolve successfully, you must learn to see failure as a stepping stone to success”. This is a necessary step because it allows you to build up the skills you need to ultimately grow. 

Failure is a natural part of life. It’s not a reflection of who you are but rather a process we all have to face in life. 

Everyone stumbles from time to time. You can find an alternative way to look at your failure. What are the lessons you can learn from this? What can you do to make sure it doesn’t happen next time? Asking yourself these questions will help you elevate into the learning zone.

Set Goals

Once you have a clear picture of what you want to achieve, it’s important to set clear goals for yourself. Goal setting enables you to build healthy habits. Having a clear plan and visualizing your goals makes them more attainable. 

Goal setting is a plan of action that helps you get from A to B. Think of a goal you have for yourself. Being able to identify every stage of that journey and what you need to get past each one makes the goal more attainable. 

This is why thinking of each zone helps supports your growth. By breaking down every step of your journey into the growth zone, you can see which habits aren’t helpful and make appropriate adjustments. It doesn’t matter how big or small and you don’t have to announce it to anyone; what matters is that you are gradually overcoming your fears. 

Setting goals is a great way to track your progress!

Stay Consistent

The final part is the most challenging – staying consistent. Now that you have set some goals, you can work on building a routine or schedule that supports them. Consistency is key! 
 

Achieving any goal requires repeating certain steps over and over again until you are successful. If you are used to being in your comfort zone, you may struggle to hold yourself accountable. It may take you a while to unlearn some of the habits that have been holding you back.  
 

You might try and fail the first time so try to remember that this is perfectly normal and you can keep trying until you get it right. If you need an incentive – why not give yourself a prize for when you complete it. You could also appoint a friend as an accountability partner to help keep you in check.

Breaking it Down

Let’s think of a common example to help break it down. You want to learn a new skill, for example, a foreign language. Below is an example of some thoughts you might have about the situation at each stage: 

Comfort Zone – I am fine not learning something new and sticking to what I know. 

Fear Zone – I’m afraid I won’t be good at this.  It will take forever to learn and I don’t have the time. What if my friends make fun of me? 

Learning Zone – I will create a weekly schedule to help me manage my time. How can I make this more achievable? What else can I give up to make more time for this? I understand that this won’t happen in a day. 

Growth Zone – Learning a new and useful skill helps me improve my prospects. This is an exciting opportunity to meet new people. This will help me achieve my full potential and find a new purpose. 

Try to understand what’s holding you back – overcoming that barrier will help you move forward!

Final Thoughts 

You should now hopefully have the tools to work towards your growth zone. Your goals can become more achievable if you use these tips to break them down.  

Identify what’s holding you back and use this to help you move forward. Accept that failure is a part of success. Set goals and create helpful habits that keep you consistent. 

Contact Ceed to learn more about how you can leave your comfort zone and grow into the person you’re meant to be! 

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