Stepping outside of your comfort zone is the fastest way to grow. But, why is it so hard? The next zone is the fear zone that many of us don't like to be in. You have to get through your fear to where you will learn to now entering...the Growth Zone! Let's examine this more.
The Comfort Zone
The comfort zone is where you feel most comfortable. That's because you have a sense of control and you feel safe. But you also are stagnant which can cause boredom. To step into the next zone (Fear Zone) you have to be ready to step out of your comfort into the unknown.
The Fear Zone
The fear zone is called this because of your feelings. You may feel scared and uncomfortable trying something new. In an attempt to make us feel safe again, we engage in behaviors like moaning, excuses and procrastination to try to put us back in our comfort zone. But in order to grow, you need to keep pushing yourself to get out of this zone and into the learning zone.
The Learning Zone
The learning zone is where you will learn and grow. You face the challenges and learn new skills which helps expand your comfort zone. And once you've felt the joys of success, you are ready to enter the growth zone!
Now entering...the Growth Zone
The Growth zone is where the real magic happens! After learning the new skill, you feel a meaning and higher purpose. You develop your self-growth and self-motivation even more. You have grown because you let yourself get past your fears.
Homeschooling Application
Guess what? This applies to our kiddos too!
While homeschooling, we are asking them to leave their comfort zone to learn new concepts and skills that will put them in the fear zone. In that zone, you might experience those fear behaviors from your kids of grumbling, excuses and complaining because they are simply scared.
But remember what happens when they move past that fear. They step into learning and eventually they will enter the growth zone. This will make them expand their comfort zone and grow their self-worth.
This is an amazing advantage you have with homeschooling. You get to discover how your children can work through these zones in a loving and kind manner as their teacher.
Remember: when you are having one of those days where your kids are pushing back on you, I hope you remember it could stem from them being in their Fear Zone. Try to acknowledge their fear and push gently into that learning zone. You'll see that smile when they finally enter the growth zone!!
Let's help our kids learn how to enter the growth zone and CELEBRATE when they do!!
This was inspired after listening to this TEDX Talk by Yubing Zhang you can watch below.
