The stuff inside the circle

About 10 years ago, I received training as a salesperson at a telemarketing company. One time during the training session, my supervisor used a diagram to illustrate a life lesson. He first drew a picture on the blackboard: a person standing inside a circle. Then, he added a house, a car, and some friends inside the circle.

The supervisor said, "This is your comfort zone. The things inside this circle are crucial to you: your housing, your family, your friends, and your job. Within this circle, people feel comfortable, safe, away from danger or conflict."

"Now," he asked, "who can tell me what happens when you step outside of this circle?" The classroom immediately fell silent. One enthusiastic trainee broke the silence: "You'll feel fear." Another one thought: "You'll make mistakes." At this point, the supervisor smiled and said, "When you make mistakes, what is the result?" The trainee who initially answered loudly replied: "I will learn from them." "Exactly," the supervisor said, "you learn from your mistakes. When you leave your comfort zone, you learn things you didn't know before, you broaden your horizons, so you improve." The supervisor turned to the blackboard again and drew a larger circle outside the original one, adding new things like more friends, a bigger house, etc.

"If you always stay within your comfort zone, you will never expand your vision, and you will never learn new things. Only when you step out of your comfort zone can you make your life's circle bigger, and only then can you shape yourself into a better person."

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**Key Phrases Translation:**

- 沙发 (sofa)

- 实木桌 (solid wood table)

- 困境即赐予 (adversity is a gift)

- 密集架 (mobile shelving)

- SA-8寸 (SA-8 inch)