With all that happened in 2020 — Covid-19, lockdowns, political chaos — it’s no wonder some of us are in a funk, wallowing in negativity and pessimism.
It doesn’t have to be that way anymore.
There’s a way to frame and handle events in your favor.
But first…
Forget politics!… at least for the short term.
It’s a lost cause while President Joe Biden dismantles and reverses former President Donald Trump’s accomplishments and initiatives.
Republicans lost control of the political agenda.
Democrats increasingly left-leaning, are in power.
They control the narrative and most of the media.
There’s nothing that you and I can do about that at the moment.
Don’t waste your irreplaceable time wallowing in a self-induced purgatory of negativity.
Instead, focus on ways that you can thrive this year and for the rest of your life.
Use 2021 as the time to invest in yourself!
(Later, you are better positioned with an enhanced career and personal life. You can step back into the political ring if you’re so inclined to fight for what is right.
You’ll be able to offer a better vision of the future than the Democrats who seek the bludgeon of government to solve all problems.)
But for now, take a look at your future.
Consider your playing field.
You occupy three primary areas of life.
I call them “Life Zones.”
From these areas, you live, work, and enjoy the rewards of a productive life.
Your Life Zones are:
1. Your Comfort Zone
2. Your Discovery Zone
3. Your Achievement Zone
Each zone is necessary for a well-lived and balanced life.
Let’s begin with your Comfort Zone.
Despite its bad reputation from many productivity gurus, it’s not only necessary but vital to your health and well-being.
It includes your home, loved ones, and all manner of comforts.
It’s true that if you stay in your comfort zone, your chances of achieving what you want are limited.
Yet, there’s a productive aspect to your comfort zone.
It provides you with a safe place to rest, recuperate, and recharge your spirit. It helps keep you alive.
It’s where you rest and recharge your body, mind, and spirit.
Then comes your Discovery Zone.
Even though your comfort zone is important, it’s not a place from which you can accomplish your dreams for the future. For that, you need to enter your Discovery Zone.
This is where you learn things, meet new people, and discover the hidden nooks and crannies of possibility.
When you pursue a field of study, investigate new options, or seek a solution to a problem, you are in your discovery zone.
It’s the place from which you gather the knowledge that can empower your efforts for achievement.
It has nine components which we’ll delve into in future installments.
Finally, we come to the most important area of life, your Achievement Zone.
From here, you seek to achieve what is important to you.
It’s where you are fully engaged in the process of creation, production, and generating results.
To move from your comfort zone to your discovery zone takes time and effort.
But, to move from your comfort or discovery zone into your achievement zone requires that you cross a river of self-doubt, discomfort, and potential disapproval from those who seek to maintain the status quo.
There are eleven areas of opportunity in your Achievement Zone that we will highlight in future issues.
Each life zone contains specific things necessary for a well-lived life (and, in some cases, your very survival).
Stay tuned for the next installment. (It’s coming… I promise.)
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[Portions of this article are excerpted from Your Life Zones, one of my forthcoming books, which will be published later this year.]
