Skill Stretching

Pushing Beyond Your Comfort Zone

In personal growth, particularly when developing a resilient mindset, we often hear the advice to "step outside your comfort zone." But what does that really mean, and how can we apply it to our lives to drive improvement? A concept that encapsulates this idea is skill stretching, a simple yet powerful approach to pushing ourselves further and expanding our potential.

Skill stretching is based on two core elements: comfort and capability. These elements work together in personal growth, where we can either challenge our environment to stretch our comfort zone or push our abilities to enhance our capabilities. Both paths require intentional effort and mindset shifts, but they’re different in how they engage our growth.

Comfort vs. Capabilities: A Balanced Approach

Let’s break this down into two approaches to skill stretching:

1. Stretching Comfort: Challenging Your Environment
The first way to stretch your skill is by changing your environment. This means facing challenges that take you out of your normal routine, circumstances, and expectations. For example, let’s say you're used to running 3 miles on a treadmill. That’s your current level of comfort—you know the distance, the speed, and the environment (the treadmill is stable and controlled).

Spencer Rattler prepared for a freezing 2024 game in Green Bay with reps in a walk-in freezer.
Katherine Terrell, ESPN

To stretch your comfort zone, you can take your run outside, which automatically adds complexity. The cold, the rain, uneven terrain, and even uphill climbs present new obstacles that push you to adapt, forcing your body and mind to react to external conditions you can’t control. These new challenges in the environment stretch your mental toughness and resilience as you have to navigate unknowns and overcome obstacles—literally and figuratively.

For instance, while running outside in the rain might seem difficult, it adds a new layer of toughness to your mental capacity. Your comfort zone now extends to facing the elements, managing discomfort, and embracing the unpredictable. This forces you to grow not just in your physical abilities but also in your ability to deal with discomfort, which builds overall resilience.

2. Stretching Capabilities: Pushing Beyond Your Current Abilities
The second way to stretch your skills is by focusing on your capabilities and pushing yourself beyond your current ability. For example, if running 3 miles every day is within your ability, stretching your capability would involve either increasing your distance or duration.

Let’s say you’ve been running 3 miles for a while, and it's become easy for you. To continue growing, you need to push beyond that distance or increase your time running—this is where you start testing your physical limits. You could aim to run 5 miles instead of 3, or you could aim to run at a faster pace for the same 3-mile distance. Both of these challenges focus on increasing your ability to perform the skill, which in turn increases your capacity for future growth.

Stretching your capabilities requires mental and physical adaptation. It’s about identifying what is beyond your current limits and then working to meet that challenge. This process not only helps you improve in the specific skill (running, in this case) but also boosts your overall confidence in tackling future challenges that require similar discipline and effort.

The Internal vs. External Stretch: A Combined Approach

The power of skill stretching lies in how it combines both internal and external challenges. While stretching your comfort zone pushes you to face external circumstances that challenge your mental endurance and adaptability, stretching your capabilities pushes you internally to develop strength, endurance, and resilience.

The key to success in skill stretching is finding a balance between both. By facing external challenges (like running in the rain or taking reps in a walk-in freezer) and increasing your physical and mental abilities (pushing beyond your current levels), you’ll stretch both your comfort and your capabilities, creating a more well-rounded and resilient mindset.

How to Start Skill Stretching in Your Life

1. Identify Your Comfort Zone
   Start by assessing your current activities and routines. What are you comfortable doing, and where do you feel safe and in control? This might be something as simple as your daily exercise routine, your work tasks, or even social interactions. Once you identify these areas, you can start challenging yourself.

2. Add External Challenges to Stretch Comfort
   Choose a skill or activity you’re already familiar with, but change the environment. Go for a run in nature instead of on the treadmill, take your business meetings outside your office, or challenge yourself with social situations that require you to step up in uncomfortable ways. The goal is to break free from your routine and introduce new experiences that push you mentally and physically.

3. Increase Your Internal Challenge to Stretch Capabilities
   Now, think about how you can improve the skill you’re practicing. For instance, in running, if 3 miles is easy, challenge yourself to run 5 miles or increase your pace. If you work in a leadership role, take on more responsibility, set higher goals, or tackle more complex tasks that stretch your abilities.

4. Track Your Progress
   As you begin to stretch both your comfort and capabilities, keep track of your progress. Celebrate the small wins and continue to push beyond what you thought was possible. The more you stretch yourself, the more natural it becomes, and eventually, the boundaries of your comfort zone and capabilities will expand.

Growth Comes from Stretching

Skill stretching isn’t about taking huge leaps every time; it’s about making small, consistent changes that push you slightly beyond where you are right now. Whether you stretch your comforts by challenging your environment or stretch your capabilities by challenging yourself, both approaches play a crucial role in personal growth. Remember, personal development isn’t just about mastering a single skill—it's about continuously improving in every aspect of life.