As I mentioned last week David Peterson is the Director of Executive Coaching & Leadership at Google.

He mentioned a phrase which stuck with me: “There’s no learning in the comfort zone, and there’s no comfort in the learning zone.” Last week I talked about the first part, today I’d like to focus on the second.

Why does learning push you out of your comfort zone?

It’s because when you learn something, you’re going to change. And change is uncomfortable.

It’s possible to “learn” something unimportant, I suppose. I have to find the address for your website, so I google your company name and find the pointer. That’s pretty trivial. Yes, I’ve “learned” something, but it doesn’t change me in any noticeable way. In fact, I’ll probably forget it in a few minutes because I know how to do the web search.

No big deal.

True learning, the important stuff, requires change. I went to a class some years ago where I had to record myself on video and then analyze the result. As an introvert, that was deeply uncomfortable. But that set me on a course to feel comfortable presenting in front of even hundreds of people.

It was an incredibly valuable investment, but there’s no way I could have done that in my comfort zone. Not at all. The change was totally worth it.

So here’s my question today: Where is your comfort zone holding you back from the learning and change you need to make? We all have it, so the first step is to recognize that’s what’s happening.

Then find some help to move you to where you want to be.