At first glance, this sounds kind of silly. “The law of the rubber band”?
I’m reading a great John Maxwell book that talks about the law of the rubber band and I wanted to share it with because without the right context, it can sound kind of silly.
So what is the law of the rubber band?
The Law of The Rubber Band states that “Growth Stops When You Lose the Tension Between Where You Are and Where You Could Be.”
This may sound weird to have a law of the rubber band and maybe even overly simplified but think about a rubber band. What is it’s primary function? It really has no use or power unless or until it’s stretched. But when you stretch it, it creates power, energy, and value. If you’ve ever seen one of those old toy balsa wood airplanes with the plastic that use a rubber band to turn the prop, that’s great example. They definite use the law of the rubber band and a lot of kids have had a ton fun because of it!
And there is a direct application of the law of the rubber band when it comes to success.
All of us live in the comfort zone, me included. And if you did nothing to expand yourself beyond your comfort zone, you’d have what you have, in every aspect of life for the rest of your life and nothing more. Possibly less but never more.
And to get outside of the comfort zone, you have to move away from where your mind, body, and emotional energy are comfortable. The further you move away from the center of your comfort zone, the more tension you create as your mind, body, and emotional energy try to keep you where they are comfortable.
Because it’s easy to live in that space. You may not even want to live there but you know to. To do something different would stretch us out of our comfort zones, and most people don’t find that especially enjoyable. But, its when we are stretched that we expand into new areas where we find and create more value.
The law of the rubber band applies to all growth in life both personal and professional.
So next time your feeling “stretched”, remember the law of the rubber band and know that you’re moving towards something bigger, better, and more awesome!
Make Life An Adventure!
