The graph below has been circulating across several social media accounts during COVID-19. I believe this graph is a great way to analyze and perhaps offer some insights into understanding how we choose to respond in challenging times outside of our comfort zone. A plethora of research indicates that stretching ourselves outside of our familiar world is a way to fulfill our untapped potential. In order to expand our repertoire of life skills and experiences, we need to become comfortable with the uncomfortable new normal. Consequently, each time we transition, we move to another level towards reaching our full potential, thus aiding in our transformation. Worthy of mention that for many of us, it is not a direct path towards our new zone, actually I believe that there are a few additional stages we go through in this transition process.
More specifically, it involves transitioning from a Fear Zone to a Learning Zone and then finally the proverbial, ‘outside your comfort – Growth Zone’. Take for example, learning a new skill; we are fearful of embarking on this new journey because it is unfamiliar territory. We often have unhelpful and discouraging, perhaps even self-sabotaging self-talk. We are clearly in the Fear Zone – where we fear failure and perhaps are thoughts are shaped from our past emotional experiences. Once we become self-aware and pass this initial zone, we move on to the next zone, where we are committed to learning by focusing on things that are directly under our control. Continuing with the same example, we commit to learning but also to a disciplined routine for practicing that new skill. The transition from the Learning Zone to the legendary Growth Zone occurs when there is an eloquent application from our comprehension of the new skill. Your time in this zone will help you achieve mastery level and perhaps motivate you to go further and either augment that skill or learn a complimentary new one. Thus, entering into a new cycle of transition and eventually further transformation.
My colleague and dear friend has recently posted a great article about behaviour types that I believe correlate quite nicely with these transition zones. In summary, she believes that there are three types of observable behaviors that people have adopted during Covid-19. More specifically, she noticed that “people during this crisis scenario tend to fall under three types of behaviors in my point of view: the Reactive, the Active, and the Proactive. The divergence between all three behaviors lies in their time orientation and intention: the Reactives focus on the past to mainly soothe themselves, the Actives tend to focus on the present to feel in control during changing times, while the Proactives focus on the future to plan ahead either for own gains or others’ welfare”. More specifically, she continues by saying that “The Reactives usually are stuck in the challenge or situation and are not able to move ahead. The action-oriented, or as I like to call them the Actives, live in the present; they tend to think of themselves as realistic, so they focus on what they can do at the present moment to elevate their stress and make sense of what is happening. If they control the moment, then they feel a sense of security about the changes happening all around them. They go through the motion to get things done, and their motto usually is: The show must go on!. The last type, the Proactives, are those who focus on the future and how to plan for the time ahead, whether good or bad. If you check the dictionary, you will find the adjective ‘proactive’ describes a person who makes things happen instead of waiting for them to happen. Proactives can be the people updating their resume, learning a new skill or taking an online course in the downtime to upgrade their abilities to fit the job market post-crisis. Others might invest in the market buying losing shares anticipating a booming market post-crisis.”
In my opinion, Basmah’s Reactives are living in the Fear Zone, the Actives are in between the Fear Zone and the Learning Zone, and finally, the Proactives are in the Growth Zone. I firmly agree with Basmah, that are behavioural choices are much more complex than trying to fit them into one-dimensional zones. However, I find it quite fascinating how our beliefs drive our behavioural choices and ultimately our actions, during a challenging situation or throughout our lives.
So how are you choosing to respond? Are you ready to seize the growth opportunity? Because as per John C. Maxwell’s famous quote, Change is inevitable. Growth is optional!
For Basmah’s full article, please check out: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/basmahali
Image Source: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/781444972830521078/
