Comfort zone

The comfort zone is the region of behavior in which a person feels familiar, safe, and predictable. Staying in this zone is soothing, but growth usually happens just outside it, where a slight tension is felt. The problem is not that the zone is narrow, but that the person never leaves it; for then safety turns into stagnation. The coach invites the client beyond the comfort zone, not so far as to drive them into panic, but far enough to help them grow. One step beyond the familiar is often where learning begins.