Complacency is when things are going well, or at least relatively smoothly, in your life. It sounds like something pretty sweet. However, there is a fairly negative connotation in the term “complacent,” and there is a valid explanation for this.
This term describes happiness with oneself, but this comfort comes with a bit of smugness and not being mindful of the risk around the corner. Being complacent is a major contributor to something like being stuck in a rut. It keeps you in place and limits your potential. The enemy of personal growth is complacency. Read on to discover and conquer their unseen pitfalls.
Signs of Complacency
First, let’s look at some of the signs that you might be approaching life in a complacent way. If you do not see life as a learning experience, and you don’t make an effort to learn something new for yourself or your career, you are likely to fall into an over-confident path.
You don’t grow when you don’t learn. You could be putting yourself in a place to be passed over for promotion by someone who has shown the initiative that is needed to thrive. It is also possible that your personal relationships will suffer because you have become sluggish in paying attention to signs of dissatisfaction.
Another symptom of complacency is that you never feel nervous or scared in your life. This is an indication that avoids risk, which is a key element of success. Significant life accomplishments need you to venture out of your comfort zone.
Fears of transition are also seen in complacent individuals. This fear, as with most types, limits you and prevents you from greatness. Life has to adjust a bit in order to get better, and things could still be better.
Dangers of Complacency
When you’re comfortable in your situation and feel no need to take steps to improve yourself or move on to better things, it’s easy for inertia to get in. This state of remaining unchanged becomes more difficult to overcome the longer it remains.
Thus, taking the initiative if life is to throw you a curveball will require a great deal of effort once you’ve become entrenched in your static position. When you walk comfortably in your life, it’s also easy for your judgment to be impaired.
You may begin to be overly confident in your ability to handle everything on your plate and underestimate potential challenges that lie ahead. It’s certainly a risky place to be, as it leaves you unprepared to effectively manage the challenge.
When you are constantly working to improve yourself and learn, you’re far more capable of proactively generating solutions to unexpected things that you may encounter.
Overcoming Complacency
A complacent nature can be overcome. Firstly, use the suggestions mentioned above to help you identify if you have become complacent. If you feel like you fall into this category, take action by giving yourself some new goals.
By deciding to do one thing every day that brings you out of your comfort zone, you can start small, or you could brainstorm some bigger objectives that could change your life. For example, subscribe to the technical course that could put you in the running for a new job at work.
When setting your goals, try to make sure that they are daunting enough to help you step beyond any inertia you may need to resolve. In addition, make sure to keep a goal in mind with any goal. Your “why” or the reason behind the goal is what motivates you to complete it. Soon you will find that this forward motion will easily build on itself, pushing you to achieve more challenging goals.
It is easy to see how complacency can be a natural enemy of personal growth. But you have the power to overcome it. Keep this information in mind when you’re working towards becoming your best self.
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