Meet Mr Complacency

Imagine if complacency were a person in your life.  Mr. Complacency would come up beside you, admire that shiny gold star of yours, and then whisper smugness-inducing flattery like:

• “People think you’re so great.  Lucky you—you’ve got it made without even trying.”
• “Everything is going just fine.  Why accept a new challenge where you might fail?”
• “You’re okay just the way you are.  Why work to improve yourself?”
• “Compared to some people—cough—you’re not that bad!”
• “From what I hear, Thomas Edison and Bill Gates never got a gold star.”

Listen to Mr. Complacency long enough and he’ll convince you that what you really, really need is a nap.

But don’t kid yourself.  The cost of complacency is real, and it can be tragic.  We slide into habits of mediocrity and excuse making.  Life gets boring, and we’re not sure why.  We know, or at least suspect, that there’s a lot more we could do or be.  But floating along, there’s no way to be sure.  Might as well take another nap.

Harris, Alex & Brett, Do Hard Things, Multnomah Books, Portland, OR.  Page 91