Much like evolution, progress only becomes possible through change.
But most of us prefer to stay snuggled up and blanket wrapped in the toasty warmth of our comfort zones than to venture out into the unknown, even at the promise of finding all the riches and happiness in the World.
We’ve heard the tales of the Big Bad Wolf who likes to collect designer brand garments, the Blind Mice who cause all kinds of road accidents, and the Pumpkins that turn into carriages at odd hours.
So, it’s a Wild World out there with less than ideal weather conditions and countless ways of slipping, sliding, falling, floundering and failing.
But instead of focusing on all the inconveniences and the possibilities of failure, we should be thinking about what’s possible and what’s likely to happen if we stay right where we are.
For instance, let’s say that the reason why we’re not progressing in our career is because:
1. We’ve become accustomed and complaisant with our job role
2.We like the people you work with (even though they don’t like us back)
3. We don’t feel overwhelmed or overworked (almost like we hadn’t been working at all)
4. We get paid for showing up (which is always a good thing)
And
5. We get freshly baked cookies every morning.
So from our way of seeing things, it pays the bills, buys the food and pays for all 99 subscription channels. And therefore life is purrrrfect.
In fact, given all the perks many of us get suckered into holding onto our jobs for the next 125 years like a ferocious kitten in the middle of a hurricane, with hopes of retiring with a gold-plated wheelchair and a decent pension.
The problem, however, is that our Bosses have a slightly different agenda and a bazaar way of looking at things. They don’t just measure a person’s value to the company in terms of how nice they are and how hard they work (although these qualify as good enough reasons not to toss them out a Window).
Instead, they measure a person’s value to the company in terms of their growth potential, attitude, contribution, reliability, flexibility (not physical flexibility), return on investment and of course the brand of shampoo they use.
And the minute they notice any of these criteria falling below their own disclosed/undisclosed standards is when they call up that untimely meeting and have us fed to the piranhas or fired.
The same principles apply to all aspect of our lives… be it in our health, relationships or finances.
If we become complaisant with our current state of health and don’t make a daily effort to grow or improve, we’ll soon be overweight, overbaked, overanxious, overfed and way undernourished.
Likewise, being too comfortable in our relationships fizzles out the fire that keeps the passion alive. And without purposeful and consistent maturity, we tend to overlook many of the red and green flags and even
misread and misinterpret many situations that result in breakups, breakdowns or the occasional breakdance.
And in the Financial realm, not making the effort to expand beyond our horizons and especially not becoming accustomed to the newer technologies and practices puts a serious damper in our growth potential. It also makes us a very dispensable, relatively invaluable and a reasonably edible commodity.
So, change is not just the ideal way forward. It is the only way forward, as you can only stand still and admire the view for so long in the middle of a highway before getting run over.
