The Comfort Zone Illusion

What is this place called the comfort zone? Where does the comfort zone exist? Why is stepping outside of the comfort zone so frightening? The Comfort Zone Illusion answers those questions by taking you on a journey of discovery to uncover the mystery of the very personal space we call our comfort zone. It is an exploration through the stages of change, beginning with the very first step outside of the comfort zone to exposing the five walls of fear that create barriers to change. This book looks beyond the illusion of comfort to the stark reality of the discomfort of change, and offers strategies to transform fear to energy, break down the brick walls of fear, develop movement habits, and create success enablers. Every breakthrough exercise provides a reflective understanding of your comfort zone, and although the exercises have a specific purpose, each offers a chance to reveal an "a-ha" moment. One of those moments is the turning point, the awakening to move you out of being stuck in the comfort of where you are to where you are meant to be.

Leaving your comfort zone is frightening, and fear can stifle action, inhibit the ability to attempt a new approach, and can create unnecessary stress, making you less likely to welcome change as an opportunity for discovery, growth, and personal development. The author, Susan Neustrom, shares numerous stories about confusion, uncertainty, anxiety, and success derived from her life-changing experience of facing her fear of educational failure from being a high-school dropout at sixteen by returning to school at forty-eight to earn a GED and then a doctorate. Susan conveys her thoughts, feelings, and unbelievable discomfort with leaving her comfort zone, as well as many "a-ha" moments, in her personal transformation of abandoning a twenty-two-year career to follow her vision to do work with greater purpose and meaning. Not only does she offer her personal account, she also shares the stories of people in a variety of situations, and from experts who clearly understand change.

If you are stuck in your comfort zone, ready for change, but walls of "I can't" stand in your way, this book shows you how leaving your comfort zone is not so hard after all. The Comfort Zone Illusion truly demonstrates that possibilities are endless once you learn how to get out of the discomfort of being in your comfort zone, eliminate fear, and unleash purpose, passion, and potential.

About the Author

Susan Neustrom, Ed.D. is a life and leadership coach, professional speaker, consultant, and adjunct professor at National Louis University in the College of Professional Studies and Advancement, at Benedictine University in the undergraduate writing program, and at Argosy University in the Graduate School of Management and Business. Susan has over twenty-five years of experience in leadership positions as Executive Director of a nonprofit, delivering educational programs to incarcerated men and women in the county jail, as Director of Human Resources for a nonprofit agency, working with adults with development disabilities, and as Assistant Vice President for a community bank. She holds an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership from Argosy University, a M.A. in Organizational Leadership with a training and development concentration from Lewis University, and a B.S. in Management from National Louis University. Susan has served on the Board of Directors for the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce, Family Shelter Service, The American Cancer Society, as a member of the National Louis University Adjunct Council, and as a pro bono HR consultant and coach for Taproot Foundation.

Although her career in banking spanned twenty-two years, advancing from entry level to assistant vice president, she deeply desired to follow her calling and transition to a career in human services to work with people who experience barriers to success. Her passion stemmed from her many years of volunteer work, beginning when she was just fifteen, helping those who were homeless, victims of domestic violence, experiencing crisis pregnancy, unemployed, seniors on a fixed income, and suffering from cancer. But to change her vision to reality, she had to face her greatest fear of failure, leave her comfort zone, and make a life-changing decision. Susan dropped out of high school at age sixteen, yet at age forty-eight, over thirty years after leaving school, she decided to pursue a formal education from GED to Doctorate. Her personal journey of discovery is motivating and inspiring helping many people leave their comfort zone and accomplish great things.

As a result of her life-changing experience, her work and her passion for helping others, Susan is a keynote speaker, presenter, and facilitator at many universities, conferences, and organizations. Her workshops are highly interactive and focus on leaving your comfort zone, leading change, and discovering meaning and purpose.