My philosophy on The Comfort Zone

11.30 am 08 May 2020

1. Comfort zone

It is the zone that ones find a sense of safety, comfort and protection to linger in. This stage usually applies to anyone that has never taken risks, especially when they are under the nurturing of their family. Thus there are things behind themselves that need discovering. Staying in the comfort zone limits individuals' chances to explore potentials and capacity as they are not exposed to challenges. As long as they step out of their comfort zone, they understand they can do bigger things than what they think.

2. Fear zone

The second layer occurs as people start to get some exposure to the outside of the comfort zone. In particular, people encountering this stage are those who begin to have less dependence upon family. They tend to be high-school or university students who have to study away from home, meaning they might get involved in more complicated social networks than ever before. They encounter different opinions of people, most of the time, judgments towards our behaviors, our thinking and the way they should live. It is not easy to accept these critics in the first place and many of them tend to switch their way of life to fit what society expects them to be. They are afraid to be a weird unit among the majority. They do not dare to speak up to express their thoughts because everything is new. It might be better to be silent and follow the norms.

The norms vary depending on the society where individuals live. For example, girls in some Asian countries are supposed to be graceful and follow such occupations as teachers, nurses or housewives. They are supposed to behave modestly in front of others rather than being outgoing and get involved in a big circle of networks. Not every girl is born into this category of trait, their real identity might turn out different from their biological characteristics when they know themselves. Even for ordinary girls, they have to contain themselves to play the role that their society imposes them to take.

3. Learning zone

Once people get enough suffering from the fear zone, they start to question themselves and the world around. They question their own identity and their purpose of living. As they realize they could cope with the differences among people's opinions, they grow the desire to speak their mind. They cope with their fear by learning more skills, gain back their self-confident and build up knowledge. They gradually find challenges interesting to overcome as it helps them see the freshness and cultivate interesting lessons. The new skills could be communication, teamwork, problem-solving and adaptability, etc. Along the way, they want to extend their comfort zone because they are on the way of understanding more areas of knowledge and skills. It is the period of trials and learnings to figure out their motivation and self-interest.

4. Growth zone

After trials and learning points, ones could see a clearer pathway to walk. Instead of learning all over the places, it is time to set particular goals and achieve them. The growth zone allows people to recognize their deep potentials and dream of something big. They feel like setting new objectives and being determined to conquer whatever it is. It is about seeing the positive changes in themselves and how they perceive others' opinions no longer to be suppression to their identity. If people feel a sense of growth in their aspiration to live, a meaning in life, it is when the growth zone takes place.

This diagram is important for individuals' learning and development because it portrays 4 stages of recognition of our inner life and others' life. It rings a bell to people to see if their true self is determined by external factors or not. It represents a guideline for everyone to position themselves at the moment they are living to reflect and reset their life-direction. It acts as a compass for them to identify where they are, what to do next and whether or not they are on the right track. It helps anyone who is lost in directions and helps those who are on the move to be inspired and accomplish more values. After all, the diagram confirms that every human has the right to step out of comfort zone to try, to face challenges and find their own self. This structure works for everyone to live a life they want to be.

p/s: The post is 100% synthesized from my own life experience without no reference to any source of articles or literature. Also, this is one question in the final exam of TU106 course (Creativity and Communication). :)

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