Most of us are familiar with the comfort zone theory. We’ve all felt what its like to be on the edge of something big that moves us past our fears and towards our dreams and deepest desires. Were also all too familiar with what it feels like to fall short and not meet a goal because we let fear stay in the driver’s seat. Most comfort zone theories are displayed using the ecological model and consist of three distinct zones: the comfort zone, a stretch zone, and a panic zone.

A few years ago, I discovered a comfort zone model that incorporated growth and learning. Brilliant! This model has helped me understand, at a much deeper level, the critical insights I was leaving behind using the traditional comfort zone model for my check-ins. This model helped me capture what I had learned and ways I had grown, which was particularly useful when I fell short and did not reach my goals. I affectionately call this process extrapolating nuggets.

I developed a structured process to help you extrapolate nuggets from your experiences using this model. The process will guide you to pay particular attention to the learning and growth zones. I suggest you start with the events where you experienced the greatest disappointments.

Extrapolating Nuggets: Write a short paragraph that summarizes the event. Make sure to express the feelings associated with the experience.

Learning: Despite the disappointment/frustration, did you learn anything? Did you acquire any new skills? Are you handling things differently? Have you noticed any changes in your reactions and responses to similar situations? In the process, did you stretch your comfort zone?

Growth: How did you grow from the experience? Have you reset your goals? Are you experiencing more clarity? Did you discover something new about yourself in the process? Are you closer to claiming your purpose? How does this experience enhance your alignment with your dreams? Some of your learnings and growth might seem less than positive. Learn to be at peace with whatever the outcome is. When the outcome is negative, I burn the writings and process in a short ceremony to clear the energy. Most often, the process results in great learning and acknowledging how I have grown as a result. Something we don’t do often enough. Its time for more praise.

Here is an example from my life in case you need more details to take on the process for yourself.

The declaration of the Covid-19 state of emergency changed my life. I was working with young people in and from care who required a substantial amount of support in dealing with the unknown. As I could not tend to my grandkids, I immersed myself in work and attempted to turn off the emotional feedback that was knocking at the door. There had been a change in leadership, and I felt excluded and non-appreciated. I ended up leaving my work and taking a year off to tend to my mental and emotional health. I used up all my financial savings to make ends meet for a year. I learned to survive on $40 groceries a week. I made it and I learned and grew a ton!

I increased my awareness of where I spent money, created a wish list, and prioritized it, increased my faith muscle as there was always enough for everything I needed. Opportunities showed up when I needed them most and overall, I loved that I did this for me. I learned that my value came from external sources. Never a good place to be. For three months, I checked my email three times a day to see it empty. Its emptiness reflected a huge emptiness within me that only I could fill. I learned to ask a critical question: Where’s the value here?

Growth wise, I nailed my life purpose. I did a whole lot of writing and processing while I was off, and that netted a very clear picture of what I wanted to do. This website, these tools, the inspiration behind this website are all areas where I have grown tremendously. Launching the site was WAY out of my comfort zone!

One of the things I love about three decades of journalling is that it provides an avenue for me to create processes that work. I never realized that until I started to create the tools for my tool kit. Journalling helps me to process experiences and events in my life.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at lucie@life-changesconsulting.com