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Nearly all Outward Bound alumni have felt the uncertainty of stepping out of what is secure, taking a risk and getting out of their comfort zone - whether it was that day of rock climbing or a slippery peak ascent.  But, hopefully everyone has also experienced the empowering growth that happens during this time and has continued to challenge themselves even years after their courses end.          

Amanda Kubie spent 10 years working for Outward Bound and during that time recognized the importance of taking what you learn on course back out into your everyday life. She strongly believes in creating opportunities in life to stretch yourself.  Amanda, now a professional coach, has worked with many of her clients to understand and embrace "The Stretch Zone" and hopefully, as you read on, it will inspire you to push yourself and your dreams just a bit further.   

	The Stretch Zone by Amanda Kubie The Stretch Zone is a simple, but powerful model for challenge by choice. Picture a bull’s eye with three circles. The inner circle is comfort and safety; this is at home, with your family, etc., the middle circle is the stretch zone, where reasonable risk-taking occurs. The outer most circle is the panic zone, when circumstances are so frightening that nothing productive takes place. Last week a friend of mine had a going away party. He had decided to leave his life as a banker; nice house, loyal pet, and great car included, to join the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. It wasn’t a spontaneous decision; he’d applied to the Peace Corps months ago and had just now been accepted. He’d accomplished what many people want: a comfortable, secure, stable lifestyle, and he was leaving it behind. People at the party talked about him with both admiration and suspicion: “how brave, how noble. Is he crazy?” My friend’s choice to leave comfort behind and venture into a challenge is not uncommon. Outward Bound has over 500,000 alumni – people who intentionally chose to leave their cars, phones, and beds for a tent floor. We all know that there is benefit to discomfort, right? Otherwise why put one foot in front of the next when it’s pouring rain and you have three blisters, or keep climbing up when the view turns your stomach? So is stretching out of our comfort zone worth doing in daily life? It is! Pushing past comfort and into the stretch zone requires characteristics that make us proud: discipline, courage, and self-confidence. Stretching ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually means asking more of ourselves. Asking more of ourselves inevitably leads to growth. There is nothing wrong with the comfort zone. It’s a great place to be: you know what to expect, things are in place, routine is nice. But when you step out into the stretch zone, things happen. You get scared. You risk. You grow. You become. You get a little insight about how you function. And more than anything, you are awake and experiencing things you’ll remember. In a culture that meets our every need, from heated car seats to fogless shower mirrors, we are comfortable. The stretch zone gives us an inner change of scenery. How refreshing! Make the stretch zone part of daily life. Imagine, right now, five things you could do next week that would give you a sense of pride and accomplishment. Run farther than you ever have, or ask for the promotion you don’t think you’ll get. Whatever challenges you pick, make sure they mean something to you and will lead to a sense of growth. Do all five of them, and see if it reminds you of topping the climb or finishing the long day’s hike. As you learned on your course, stretching takes effort and courage, but the payoff is big. The effort alone can be enough to catapult you into new and uncharted territory. Happy Stretching!

BRING SOLO INTO EVERYDAY LIFE

Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that’s where I renew my springs that never dry up. 

                                                                                                                                            -- Pearl Buck

A few seasons ago I was instructing an O.B. course in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana. High on a plateau, our July course had taken us through snowfields, hail storms, and mosquito swarms. It had been beautiful and challenging. Most of the brigade looked forward to solo simply for the chance to sleep in and relax. One student in particular had been talking about and looking forward to this challenge since the course began. He’d never been alone, and he couldn’t wait to experience “peace and quiet”.

Two hours after putting everyone on solo, my co-leader and I sat in our Crazy Creek chairs, taking in some sunshine and tea. The student who’d been looking forward to this for weeks appeared at our base camp, saying he couldn’t take the silence. After helping him re-settle into his site, I walked back to camp, knowing he was fighting an unexpected battle. For some, the solo experience is fantastic and refreshing. For others, it’s the toughest challenge on the course. Most students find it a mix; exhilarating, boring, lonely, refreshing all at once. Regardless of whether students enjoy or struggle through the experience, this course component always ends in the same way for me: students return to camp with a sort of peaceful glow about them. It’s true; 10 years of instructing has proven this to be a reliable ending of solo.

Like many aspects of an O.B. course, it can be hard to put your finger on just why it’s so powerful. Is it the close contact with nature? The echoing of your own thoughts? Your socks finally drying out or your blisters healing? Whatever the source of its effectiveness, wouldn’t it be nice to experience some of that in your daily life at home? Most of us lead busy lives. From the morning newspaper to the music from our stereo, we are constantly given the option of distraction. Eliminating those distractions for a few moments in your daily life just might open up some room for your inner thoughts, instincts, and feelings. It takes discipline, but, like solo, the result is probably always worth the effort.

Find a place in your daily schedule where you could spend 15 minutes alone. Your backyard is better than the living room, and time in the car doesn’t count. It will work better if it’s a time when you are required to think about nothing else -- not the red light, the dinner cooking, or the dog in need of walking.

Sit with yourself and your own quiet. Take in the breeze blowing through the treetops, or the moonlight shining beyond the street lamp. Keep your solo letter with you if you have one. Remember your experience, and connect with the person you were then. No need for a specific outcome or tangible results, just these moments alone are worth the experience. If you’re bored, hang with it. If you’re stressed, resist the idea of getting up and doing something else.

After 10 days of doing this, the experience from your course will seem a lot closer than the mountains, ocean, or desert where you camped. You may even find yourself extending your homebound solo, and enjoying the rewards of simply being alone, and quiet, within yourself. It is here that you give yourself room to grow, imagine, and absorb, connecting with who and what you are. Given still and quiet, your insides might have something to say.

Contact The Next Step
for a free coaching "test drive".

amanda@next-step-coach.com

704.451.8622

^{(C) 2004: Amanda Straus Kubie, M.Ed. All rights reserved world-wide.}