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In the book, a burn zone is essentially a vital turning point that takes a lot of effort and determination to get through, and they're something we've all faced at one point or another in our lives, although we may not have faced any as great as Jorge has. For example, one of my greatest was getting a game sponsored by an advertiser - a friend and I made a cute little puzzle collection game together, she did the art and I did the coding and design. When I pitched it around, a company said they'd take it, but needed it reskinned for Christmas because it was too close to Halloween (the theme it was in). While on vacation in Chicago and during subsequent weeks, my artist friend had to theme everything entirely different, I had to work in a good dozen different language translations for different versions of the game and smooth some things over. It was a lot of crazy work, much of which I'd never done before, but it paid off!

What's a burn zone that you've had to face in your life?

I have had many hard burn zones in my life. I think we all have. I think that's why the book is so relatable. I would be hardpressed to so openly detail my personal burn zones which is one just one of the aspects of this book for which I have to commend @"Jorge P Newbery": The fact that he can so openly tell us about some of the hardest times of his life and mistakes and seeming failures he made.

I say seeming failures because I think one of the lessons we can not only from this book but life is that failures are just the stepping stones to learning and success.

One burn zone that I would like to share is my hiking on the Grinnell Glacier Trail in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. I love to hike easy to moderate trails. It's beautiful, great exercise, and fulfilling. This one particular trail was daunting to me, so much so that I considered not hiking it. However, with the help of my husband and many (many) stops, I was able to make it to the top to see the remaining glaciers at this national park.

What made this hike challenging was some steep climbing; a 1600 ft total climb, which is the biggest for me. Also, walking along tight rock edges was a bit scary. These narrow edges included one side mountain, the other a very steep ledge. Lastly, the pressure of not holding up the trail loomed around me as well. There were several people hiking that day, and with narrow trails, I did not like holding anyone up, so I definitely felt pressure there, as well.

All in all, I made the hike and was very proud of myself that I did not give up, even though I felt like it quite a number of times.

I can't really specify any Burn Zones Moments of my own life. Perhaps this is because I haven't experienced that much of life yet, at least not anything as hectic as the authors life.

The interesting thing about burn zones, is that everyone has one. The rich, the poor, the privileged, and the wicked. Everyone has one because everyone has suffered at some point in their lives. I know it is hard to imagine, but babies cry because up until that moment in their lives, that is the most pain they have only experienced. Pain is relative and therefore, it's hard to compare them.
My burn zone is a lot smaller than Jorge's, so I feel really odd to compare them.

I think I have had several different burn zones, but the one that was the biggest struggle, and still is, has been life after cancer. I was just out of college when I got diagnosed so internships and entry level positions were out of the questions. 2 years after when everything was over and life was getting back to normal I was no longer a recent graduate and there ineligible for a lot of positions so I just took jobs that came my way. Now 10 years later I'm still struggling but learned a lot of valuable things along the way. I think some burn zones last longer than others.

I have had several burn zones, but they are very personal. I will say that they are always very defining points and help to shape who you are as a person.

I have had several "burn zones" in my life. To name a couple, my parents divorced when I was young. And then I moved to a new school when I was about 10, which wouldn't be that bad for some people, but I was an extremely shy kid and had never been in such a new environment before. Scary.

Losing friends, and realizing I should not seek validation so much from others so much is one key Burn Zone.

Paliden wrote:I have had several burn zones, but they are very personal. I will say that they are always very defining points and help to shape who you are as a person.

I agree completely with you that these are all key defining points in our lives. They sometimes say gold refined in the fire and I think these moments are refining who we are.

I can definitely say that I haven't experienced any burn zones yet. No experience I've ever had has made me wonder if I'll get through it, or whether it's really worth all the trouble I'm putting into it. That's probably because of my age, but I know that when I DO experience a burn zone, that moment of realization will make me think back to this book.

I haven't had any burn zones in my life yet but as @stoppoppingthep said, I haven't really lived that much. However this does give me confidence in that if they do occur I know that I can get through them. A great feeling.

one of my own personal burn zones has been continuing to teach at an academy after the founder and main instructor passed away (it was a martial arts academy). Somehow, the rest of us instructors had to get in front of all those kids and keep going, keep teaching, keep talking about what happened. Working with the kids while dealing with the loss was incredibly challenging. I still don't know what got me through it. Thinking of you, Hasting...

Can burn zones have different levels of severity? I feel like I've gotten through certain burn zones in my life, but I might (hopefully) be on the verge of an even bigger one.

Taylor Razzani wrote:Can burn zones have different levels of severity? I feel like I've gotten through certain burn zones in my life, but I might (hopefully) be on the verge of an even bigger one.

I think so. Honestly it's nice to know that someone else feels this way. I've had many burn zones that that been small, others that have been huge. I've gotten (or am getting) through them all, but I found myself wondering the same question. I'm hoping I can get through this next burn zone quickly and without too many scars...but it's pretty big.

-- 28 Feb 2016, 16:42 --

I have had many burn zones in my lifetime. However I think my biggest one that I have actually gotten through was being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 6. Having to grow up so incredibly fast and deal with being treated differently (I never felt like a normal kid) was so incredibly difficult. Once I reached my teens I finally crossed that burn zone and now everything is second nature and I don't even really think about it...but I remember at the time it seemed like it was something I could never face and defeat. I may still have the disease but it doesn't own me anymore. I own it.