Guitar & Comfort Zone — Leave It, But Not Too Much

Lesson #586 • Mar 21, 2025

About This Lesson

In today’s lesson I want to talk about comfort zone as a guitarist, and why it’s essential you leave your comfort zone if you want to grow. A crucial aspect to this is not leaving your comfort zone too much — lest you find yourself in over your head. This creates a bit of a delicate balancing act, as we need to find a level of challenge that’s just right — not too much, but also not too little.

In my video, I’ll walk through how I think about this topic — and give some general advice on finding that sometimes elusive sweet spot.

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Jump in the conversation with other members of the Song Notes community! Post a comment about this lesson, ask a question, or even upload a video of your progress. All skill levels welcome!

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Quotes from others

From Michael Blank:

But you do want to be careful that you don’t get too far outside your comfort zone. If you’re thrown into a situation that is WAY beyond what you’re used to, you may not be in a position to cope.

I call this the Panic Zone, and it’s not a place where you can grow. That’s the place where you’re paralyzed by fear or freaking out. Either way, you want to stay out of the Panic Zone!

So, the key here is finding that perfect place between Too Easy and Too Hard where you can thrive.

The goal is to live our lives in the Growth Zone, that region just outside our Comfort Zone–but before we reach the Panic Zone. That’s where we can become a better version of ourselves.

In the Growth Zone, you start to have a vision for what’s possible without getting overwhelmed.

From Bear Grylls:

Adventure should be 80 percent I think this is manageable, but it’s good to have that last 20 percent where you’re right outside your comfort zone. Still safe, but outside your comfort zone.

Here’s a few similar lessons I’ve made, very much related in spirit, to help you with your overall approach to learning guitar. Be sure to check these out!

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YouTube URL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALGRoSpHyIQ
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586
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2
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