The Discomfort Zone

The Discomfort Zone You know that dream when youre buck naked at school? Its terrifying, isnt it?  Everythings unsheltered, out in the open, nudeâ€"a nakedness were thankful to wake from and ease back into our world of comfort and safety. You see, we often feel an underlying trepidation whenever we do something new, something that makes us feel exposed. Joshua notices this trepidation with his writing students whenever he asks them to do activities thatre outside their comfort zone: when he asks them to tell a stranger about their passion for writing, or when he asks them to write an essay or story that other classmates might read. Likewise, when Ryan asks the people he mentors to publicly proclaim their goals or to find an accountability partner, these mentees often wince with foreboding. At first, at least We refer to this uneasy consternation as stepping into your Discomfort Zone. That is, we want these peopleâ€"people we truly care aboutâ€"to feel temporarily naked. Because when youre naked, youre most vulnerable. And when youre vulnerable, thats when radical growth happens. So next time you feel naked, next time you feel defenseless, know that youre simply operating from your Discomfort Zone, a place from which youll experience growth as long as youre willing to sit with your vulnerability long enough to grow. Subscribe to The Minimalists via email.