Have you ever woken up and felt ho-hum, unenthused to start your day? Maybe you’re counting down the days until the weekend or even retirement? Do you sometimes feel bored with what you’re doing and that maybe there’s more to life? Perhaps you feel stuck and stagnant?
You might be stuck in complacency. Complacency is a feeling of security that is often accompanied by an unrecognized danger lurking around the corner. Feeling complacent creates a sense of satisfaction with where we are and prevents us from stretching ourselves to try harder.
As unappealing as it sounds, complacency can be an easy trap to fall into. Whether it’s getting stuck in a career path that’s a bad fit or taking the same vacation year after year, I imagine it’s something we can all relate to.
I’ve been there myself, stuck in a job where I was overworked, underpaid, and treated poorly. Yet I stuck with it. I discovered that the longer we stay, the harder it is to escape. Eventually, it feels like you’re a rat stuck in a trap, with no way out.
It’s not always a bad or unhealthy thing we keep repeating. Sometimes we repeat wonderful experiences year after year. For example, my husband, Jer, and I absolutely love the Arrowhead region of Minnesota. Bordering the greatest Great Lake, this region is filled with millions of acres of federal and state parks and forests. I’ve been to a lot of places in the world and this area is definitely in my top two.
As amazing as this place is, it’s not the end all be all of this magnificent planet. I want to get out and explore it all. I want to immerse myself if different cultures, landscapes, and experiences. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to go back and camp at that amazing spot one more time.
The problem with complacency is that it stifles our potential. It can cause us to feel unfulfilled and to lose our sparkle. Complacency can take over and ruin our careers, relationships, and even our health.
This all changes the moment you decide to become intentional about creating a life of freedom. A life where you take control of your health, relationships, finances, and personal development. Creating a life of freedom requires that we are consistently stepping out of our comfort zones. This means not allowing ourselves to become complacent.
Creating a life of freedom requires that we are consistently stepping out of our comfort zones. Click To TweetSo how do we avoid falling into the complacency trap?
One simple way is to train yourself to try something new each day.
- Do you have a default restaurant you go to for lunch or date night? Try something new.
- Is there a special vacation spot you try to visit each year? Research somewhere different.
- How about the route you take the work? Explore some new routes or maybe try riding your bike.
- Do you tend to repeat the same meals each week? Buy a new cookbook and commit to making each recipe once.
- Have you had the exact same job for more than three years? Look for a new and interesting opportunity or consider starting a side hustle.
Remember that complacency isn’t exclusive to the big things in our lives. We can start training ourselves with the little things. I do this with my daily habits when they become stale. I recognize the need for change when I begin to fall behind on my goals and stop learning and growing.
Jer and I have also made an effort to implement this rule to our summer adventure plans. Over the last several years, we’ve found the most amazing campsites and hiking trails in the state. But the desire to see and experience more of the world nudged me to step out of my comfort zone and try something new.
These new adventures remind me how amazing it is to experience something for the first time. We’ve learned a lot and have tested our abilities. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the journey thus far.
These new adventures remind me how amazing it is to experience something for the first time. Click To TweetChange can be hard. Stepping out of our comfort zone is scary. Please don’t wait until you’re forced to change by your comfortable situation coming to an end. Start taking baby steps and try something new each day.
Try something new each day. Click To TweetAnd never forget to enjoy the journey.
How will you step out of your comfort zone today?
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Thank you for this great reminder Holly!
I love the idea of trying something different – it takes so little to make a change to change your outlook!
Your tips are awesome and doable for anyone in any stage! You mentioned staying in a job that paid too little for too long. I did the same thing only the person I worked for was becoming more abusive by the day. I felt this misplaced sense of loyalty to one of my direct supervisors. But I can’t begin to describe the absolute feeling of freedom and release when I unplugged the work phone and told the boss I was done. Complacency comes in lots of different “flavors” and misplaced loyalty evidently can be one of them!
You’re welcome, Troy. I need the reminder too sometimes. 😉
I wonder if you do this with running? When I’m out cycling, I try to run a different route every day. That one little thing always helps keep me in that mindset.
BINGO Annie! “It takes so little to make a change to change your outlook!”
Thanks for chiming in!
Ann,
Wow! Thank you for sharing! It’s interesting how similar our journies have been.
I’m sorry you were stuck in an abusive environment. Those situations can be devastating. I know because along with everything else, my situation was abusive. BUT – I didn’t realize it because everyone just played it off as normal. “This is the way it is everywhere,” my counterparts would say. After I had left, Jer and I were attending a series or talks on abuse and one of the talks was on corporate and institutional abuse. I was like, oh my goodness, that was abuse.
It’s interesting that you stayed due to a sense of loyalty. You’ve said it before, we humans are interesting creatures.
So happy that you found your freedom, are following your passion and leaving a legacy!
Love this – and yes, taking on something new is such a great way to take those tiny steps out of your comfort zone…and then look back years later and see how incredibly far you’ve come!
A great little book with fun challenges in this arena is “37 Days of Different: A Guide to Break Out of Your Boring Routine and Start Changing Your Life” – it was written by another Innovate attendee from a while back who was a seasoned world traveler. Some fun ones are “hug a stranger” and “sleep on the opposite side of the bed”. You can grab it here: http://amzn.to/2sIWCj8 🙂
And..another way to avoid complacency even in your comfort zones is to introduce it to someone else and see it for the “first time” again through their eyes – I can’t wait to visit the Arrowhead region with you and Jer as our guides!
Ashley,
That book is so cool! Thank you for sharing. I love all of it except for the hugging a stranger part. Of course, I have a hilarious story about that. Remind me to tell you sometime!
Love your last tip! We would love to show you the Arrowhead and Minneapolis/St. Paul. We know all the best hiking trails and waterfalls. And no trip to the Twin Cities is complete without a cruise around the chain of lakes on your bicycles. Then there’s the beer, so much great beer!
Let me know when you’re planning your trip and I’ll fill you in on everything I know. If you’re traveling during the peak summer months, Memorial Day – Labor Day, you’ll want to plan as far in advance as you can. Campgrounds fill up fast up north, but there are usually state and national forests to fall back on. And little Miss Juliet will love having a captive audience for her song and dance routines.
Thank you as always for adding value to the conversation. So appreciated!