The Growth Zone

As we grow older, our comfort zones grow with us.  A lot of things that made me uncomfortable when I was younger, no longer bother me.  To this day, I continue to push myself to “grow” outside of my comfort zone so that I can continue to live my life to the fullest.  It’s called The Fantastic Life for a reason.  We are continually making our lives better.

I did something different this week and sat down with a Gen X and a Gen Z member of my team. Please see below for their thoughts and perspectives on this same topic—How do you view growth?:

Gen X: 
— Always grow your tribe –  At any age, the comfort zone exists when you are surrounded by your friends and family and you feel like you can truly be yourself without judgment. I feel that as you age, this area becomes larger and you want to hang out there more.
— Keep shrinking your fear zone – As you get older, your fear zone becomes smaller. You have more experiences; you care less about what people think and therefore your self-confidence grows. Usually, your net worth has increased, and you can feel at ease trying more things.
— ALWAYS be learning – The learning zone becomes a funnier experience when you are older. Because you have more self-confidence, you don’t see everything as a problem. Instead, you view things as more of a challenge that you will try to overcome and win. I like being 60 and talking business with my kids in their 20s. I feel like it gives us something else we can both relate to.
— Just keep swimming – As you age, you probably have found your purpose in more than one area of your life. I feel that as long as you are capable, this area can keep expanding. There are so many stories about a 70- or 90-year-old who graduated from high school or college. Heck, even Martha Stewart is on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 81! Talk about goals.

Gen Z: 
— Leave your comfort zone to grow –  If you continue to do the same exact thing every single day, you will become stagnant.
— Fear is not always bad – The first thing you experience when you leave your comfort zone is fear. Because we are not used to what makes us uncomfortable, we try to find excuses to retreat back to what brings us comfort.  This could be something like the first day at a new job, which is full of new experiences and unknowns.
— ALWAYS be learning – This could be when you are about a week into working at a new job.  You start to feel more comfortable, and you begin to gain new skills.
— The search continues – Once you reach the growth zone, you can find your true purpose.  This could be after you have been at your new job for about 2-3 months.  You begin to find purpose in your day-to-day tasks and set new goals to grow your skills. There is no finding and forgetting.  Life changes and new purpose emerges (being a spouse, becoming a parent, etc.)

For all generations, we all will have to experience discomfort for a short amount of time in order to grow. It’s part of life.  We must constantly challenge ourselves and set new goals so we can continue growing.  Take a peek below at the graphic from UpSkillYourLife for more.