The last couple of weeks, I have really been devoting a lot of time to personal development brainstorming and planning. Over the past year or so, I have accomplished several things that I am very proud of, but now am faced with the decisions I need to make in order to stay ahead of the game in my field and the things that I am passionate about. I have never really thought about "staying on top of my game" in the past, mostly relying on the idea that as my career progresses and I add years of experience, growth and knowledge will be acquired naturally. This is not the case, and in fact, research shows that as an individual progresses through life and regardless of adding years of experience onto a skill, the ability to stay on top diminishes. Only through consistent and undying practice and training can skills advance to allow you to continue beating your peers. Whether or not I am beating my peers in my field is too hard to measure, but in my mind I will continue to think that I have "just one more person to beat to the finish line". However, I am training my brain into thinking that will never end. There will always be one individual, concept, or challenge ahead of me. I am hoping that the long-term payout will be a continuous training regime that will push me beyond my comfort zone.
In doing some research of my own around this topic, I came across a simple, yet powerful, diagram on how the human mind (and body, for that matter) operate when it comes to training and practice. The chart to the left shows three zones of human development through training and practice.
The Comfort Zone - This is your personal comfort zone. This is the area consisting of all your skills that you have nailed down and can perform at a consistent rate within a specified discipline.
The Learning Zone - This is the area that is neither too easy or too hard in regards to your skill development. Researchers say that this is the absolute best zone to shoot for when trying to advance your skills in a certain discipline.
The Panic Zone - This is the area of learning and skill development chaos. In this outer ring, an individual has so much to learn and often feels so overwhelmed, that they don't even know where to start.
For once, a target in which you don't aim for the middle if you want to achieve personal development, but rather aiming for the much harder middle ring.
Example... For most of my life, I have been a fairly good basketball player. I started showing some decent all-around skills at the game in about the 5th grade. I have always been a stronger shooter than defensive player (something that my family has often given me a hard time about!), but over the years of slaving away at a desk, my physical ability has diminished greatly. Despite being physically underdogged against most of my peers and almost all players younger than me, one thing has not changed... my ability to nail a solid jump shot. I could pick up a basketball right now, and pretty much hit six or seven out of ten from the top of the key. That is my comfort zone. So of course, when I hit the court and just shoot around, what do I spend most of my time on? That's right... shooting. A skill that I am comfortable with and know I can deliver on a consistent basis. If I really wanted to work on advancing my game, I would work on my defensive skills and footwork (besides maybe getting in better overall shape!). But seriously, who would want to work on that boring stuff?!?!? Well, someone who wants to advance their skills and stay on top of their competition. That is the learning zone for me - the zone to achieve growth in personal development. Very rarely have I stepped into this zone (or the Panic one for that matter) when it comes to basketball, because I feel safe in my middle zone. Same thing when I go to the gym... I can't just hit the same equipment all of the time. I need to push the areas that are in my learning zone. That has to change for everything I do and want to achieve.
This extends outside of the basketball court and into the business world (for me). What are the points of learning that are going to take me over the top and stay ahead of the game? Not sure, but exploring that now. I hope you check in again and watch as the story unfolds...
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