Many people believe that their Biggest Challenge is their Comfort Zone.
Sometimes it is True.
If we are going to Reach our Potential, We Will Need to Go Beyond our Comfort Zone.
Staying within our Comfort Zone becomes a Self-Imposed Prison.
It Suffocates.
Destroys Our Hope.
Makes Us Smaller.
But are you "Certain" Your Comfort Zone is The Real Problem?
I was reading a post earlier from someone who said they wanted to Retreat into their Comfort Zone for a little bit.
It wasn't something they Frequently Did.
They described it as a Safe Place to Curl into a Ball.
As I read that, it occurred to me.
This may not be a "Comfort Zone" Problem.
Why?
Well, when we think about Problems around our Comfort Zone, it is often a Challenge of "Expansion".
We Fear the Expansion.
We Worry about the Expansion.
We Walk Up to the Boundary, But Retreat before Pushing.
See, the Comfort Zone Problem is Only a Problem because it Artificially "Stops" Us from Expansion.
If we look at the 4 Brain Systems, we're primarily looking at our Neurocardiology (Heart-Brain) and Brain.
Especially the Brain.
Why?
The Brain is "Seeking" Information about what is "Past" the Comfort Zone.
But it Finds Nothing.
Lacking Information, it Communicates with the Heart, and this Causes a Disruption.
That Disruption causes things like Fear and Worry.
The Worse that this Communication Becomes, it Signals to the Nervous System (a Third Brain System), which causes a Fight-Or-Flight Reaction to Approaching the Edge of the Comfort Zone.
Here, the Solution is Simple.
Experience is what is Missing.
Teaching the Brain and Heart that it is "Ok" that We Do Not Have Information.
A Lack of "Experience" is Not A Problem.
It can become a Flow Trigger.
Flow States are where we Do our Best Work and Feel our Best in Life.
The More we Do this, the Easier it becomes to Move Past our Comfort Zone.
Lack of Experience is a Necessary Part of Growth.
Growth can Push Us into Flow States.
This then becomes a Positive Signal.
Eventually, it becomes an Extremely Enjoyable Experience.
Growth Feels Great.
Flow States are "Autotelic", or We Do Them to Do Them.
No Outside Motivation is Needed.
However, if you have "Successfully" Trained Yourself to Expect This...
Lacking Experience is a Positive Signal...
You Enjoy the Pushing of Boundaries...
Growth Causes Flow...
But you Still Find Yourself Retreating?
This May Instead be a Problem with our Nervous System and Neurogastroenterology (Gut-Brain).
Why?
All Change Requires Energy (Mg-ATP).
Expansion is a Change.
The Body Needs Energy (Mg-ATP) to Develop New Neuronal Connections (which Exist in "All" of the Brain Systems).
Energy is Needed to Sustain Basic Functioning.
We also Need Energy to Face Stressors (as All Change Is) and Recover from Stress Damage (Oxidative Stress).
Change is a Stressor.
Expansion is a Stressor.
Without Enough Energy Prepared, our Neurogastroenterology will send out Signals to the Rest of the Body.
Low Energy - Be Prepared.
Turn On Survival Mode.
The Body Reacts in a Few Different Ways.
It will Turn Off what are considered "Non-Essential" Survival Systems.
It will also "Seek" More Energy (ie Cravings).
But, when it comes to the Comfort Zone, what happens is that the Nervous System will be "On Alert" for "Anything" that could cause Dis-Stress.
The Nervous System will also Seek Ways to Reduce Current Stressors.
So if we look at "Curling into a Ball", this is a "Physical" way to Reduce Stressors.
We have "Built-In" Movements that help us Reduce Stressors.
Many people will also "Go For A Walk" to Reduce Stress as that is a Built-In Movement for Stress Reduction.
If you Observe Children, you will watch them "Rock" Back and Forth to Calm Themselves Down.
Parents Utilize this Rocking to Calm Babies.
All of these are Designed to Calm the Nervous System.
So, if you "Usually" Enjoy Moving Past the Comfort Zone, but you hit a patch where you Feel like Collapsing Into a Ball...
This Might be Caused by Your Nervous System "Avoiding" Stressors to Conserve Energy.
Trying to Improve the "Brain" around this Will Not Help.
Why?
The Problem is Not the Brain.
You Instead Need to Decrease the Stressors, Fix Current Stress Damage, and Increase Energy (Mg-ATP).
If you Do This, You'll Discover the Brain is No Problem.
With Enough Energy, you will Naturally Move Forward.
As Humans, we Enjoy Growth and Seek It when Able.
"When Able" is Key.
If we Lack Energy, we are Unable to Grow.
We "Retreat" to the Comfort Zone to Conserve Energy.
You can see Why it becomes Important to Understand the Different Brain Systems.
Many people "Think" that their Challenge is their Comfort Zone.
They try to Fix their "Mindset" around this - Their Brain.
They Struggle to "Fix Their Brain".
But find Failure.
Again.
And Again.
Because the Problem Is Not The Brain.
Their Problem is their Energy (Mg-ATP).
This is Why I Focus on Wayset.
It looks at All of the Factors at Play.
It Seeks to Understand the Underlying Psychophysiology at Play.
It Creates a Plan based on the Communication Challenges in All of the Brain Systems.
This is the Path Forward.
If You Fix the Real Problems, You Find Real Solutions.
Make Sure You Understand Correctly.