One thing is certain, one person cannot do everything in life but we have a lot we can accomplish as individuals. But fear steps in and keeps us locked up in that place we call ’Comfort Zone’. I recently read something which read ‘Comfort zone is such a great place but nothing grows there’. Now that’s another lesson for a different day but let me draw your attention to this. We have all come to know about Comfort Zone but did you know there are two other Zones? They are called the Learning Zone and the Panic Zone.
The comfort zone consists of the abilities we can do already and easily and most people have come to settle and love this place so much that they have stopped living and left their lives in what I call auto pilot mode. This is when from waking up in the morning to going back to bed at night is structured according to things we are very comfortable doing without pushing ourselves to new heights. As the saying goes, nothing grows in comfort zone. In order words, we can’t make progress in this zone. We have to continually push and challenge ourselves to be better than we were yesterday.
Have you ever been so anxious to the extent you can no longer think?
Welcome to the Panic Zone. This place is loaded with activities we find very difficult and boring, obviously uncomfortable and sometimes unreachable. We end up losing focus and abandon them. Like its opposite counterpart, comfort zone, you can’t make progress here. You don’t have to necessarily go through so much pain and unnecessary discomfort to achieve your goals.
Now between the two zones is the Learning Zone. Activities here are neither so far away to cause fear and panic, neither are they so close and too easy. This is where progress is made. Learning is where the magic happens, where you build on your already known or yet to discover craft and skills. That is why books, internet, teachers, instructors, experts etc are there to help.
It is said that we are not competing with anyone in life but against ourselves to be better today than we were yesterday. Leave that place of comfort and fear in order to grow. For anything to grow there must be some discomfort and disruption in the original state of that object or body. For a seed to grow, the original seed must either break open or die first before the new life springs up. As a sign of growth in babies, look at the discomfort of kids losing their teeth and other physical and psychological changes that takes place yet they don’t stop smiling. This process is experienced in all forms of life. Why then do we want to remain stale when life can be more fun with growth?
Another place a lot of people are settling now is called ‘Someday I will’. Most people have interesting plans and dreams but then suddenly they move to this amazing place. They immediately shelve their dreams for whatever reason which can be traced back down to fear manifesting itself in the form of excuse or reason. Then they end up working and living for people who have decided not to move to ‘Someday I will’. I will encourage you to pack out of this place because it has nothing good to offer you but regrets and stress that come with it. It is said that the cemetery is richest place on earth. Why is that the case? Most of the occupants if not all moved to the place called ‘Someday I will’ and made it their permanent abode till they ended up in the cemetery.
I had a fear for height so I decided to climb the highest mountain in Ghana (Afadjato). It was not a ‘smooth ride’ but I remember when I eventually got to the top of that mountain, I was excited beyond what words could describe and scared as well. But guess what, I love how it felt because I challenged my fear and have since then decided to do the things am most scared of in my head. So next time you find yourself giving excuses or ‘reasons’ ask yourself which zone you are in. WAKE UP, MAKE TIME TO LEARN AND LIVE YOUR LIFE!
Remember, Fear and regret justified by either excuse or reason robs us of the joy of life. They prevent us from being our ultimate self today and continue to do that for the rest of our lives. #chooselife #faceyourfears #livetothemax
Read Also : FEAR: The Invited Robber: A Swimming Instructor’s Experience Part 1
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Godwin Emeka Stephens
Dolphines Aqua Fitness Club
(Founder and Instructor)
Email: stephensgodwin@yahoo.com
Mob.: 0262476722
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dolphinesgh
Instagram: @dolphinesaquafitness
Godwin Emeka Stephens is a product of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where he obtained a degree in Publishing Studies. He went on to pursue executive certificate in International Business Administration and majored in Project Manager at the Graduate School of Governance and Leadership. He is a trained and certified Counsellor and Performance Coach with special interest and passion for the youth. He is an aspiring writer and speaker. He is the founder and a swimming instructor at Dolphines Aqua Fitness Club operating within Accra and Tema. He is also the founder and CEO of Legacy International Learning Centre, where he seeks to create awareness and to empower the next generation through a ‘Different Education’ while helping them excel in their formal education.
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