Mathilde and the Amber Zone

Mathilde wanted to tell me about her experiences in the zones of the Growth Zone Model:

"It is good that I learned about the Green (Zone) I understand that being in Green is not actually good for me. That best is to move on. Even though Green feels safe and comfortable it is better to be in Orange [Amber] as I am learning new things then. In the green I am comfortable because I know everything but not learn. I know in Red I can't learn. I make myself stay in Orange and push to attempt new and challenging tasks.

When I get something I think to myself: Well, it wasn't that hard in the end! That is actually very straightforward and I thought it was hard."

I told her my own story from hiking in Madeira: I was on a very steep and high pass between two mountain peaks and I was watching fit-looking people coming back exhausted - I got very intimidated by it and thought that I couldn't do it so I didn't complete the climb and turned back. When I eventually did the mountain pass from the other side I discovered it wasn't that hard at all!

"I know that often it takes a long time for things to go in. I find that I am being so much behind others and take much longer time than everyone else does and I get worried and push myself - it creates stress and doesn't help. It locks my brain."