Grant Burrows, class of 1994 – Osteopath and business owner of Pro-Care Geelong in Belmont.
Visit to whole school assembly on Monday 20 June 2022.
Comfort zone and stretch zone.
Grant Burrows returned to school into the same gym and school assembly setting from the 90’s. His most recent speech was 28 years ago, and he recalled that he brought the funny side of the dry content ‘no littering’ to life which was enjoyed by the audience but perhaps not the Principal (at the time).
In contrast, our Principal, Sandra Eglezos enjoyed Grant’s speech and the keys messages resonated with her.
Grant’s speech centered around the notions of comfort zone and stretch zone. He clearly defined the zones and provided relatable criteria to each of them. He then went onto discuss how the opportunities he took up at BHS (being school captain, band, production, and sports) were all within his comfort zone and he says, “in hindsight I could have moved into my stretch zone more.”
Grant encouraged our current students to enjoy their comfort zone, spend time there but to also step out of it because that’s where “the personal growth, development, stress and fun happens.”
One of the best stories he told us was when he won a radio competition which catapulted him onto the public stage and he needed to perform at a high level, doing work he didn’t know, felt like he looked like a goose and was exhausted BUT he did it all, felt very stressed at the time and still had fun. He used this story to highlight the fact that scary and difficult things can be enjoyable, fun and the zone where you grow.
The key messages for students were:
- Know the differences between comfort zone and stretch zone for you
- Consider challenging yourself to spend some time(s) in your stretch zone
- Knowing these zones and your friends, encourage people when they’re in their stretch zones.
We’re grateful for Grant’s decision to carve out some time from his extremely busy schedule. This decision demonstrates an ongoing commitment to Belmont High School and public education, as well as the young people in our region. #pridepublieducation
