Aah, comfort.
Comfort can be delightful. The highlight of my day is going home, putting on my jammies, and snuggling up with a big fluffy blanket … especially now, as nights are becoming crisper and autumn moves in to upstate New York. When we’re comfortable, we can rest, relax, and recharge. Our minds and bodies need this, and I am indubitably a superfan. But sometimes comfort can go too far, and we get too comfortable.
The border between being comfortable and being too comfortable is vague and blurry. Sometimes we cross the line and don’t realize it until we’re deep into the wrong zone. When we become too comfortable, we become lethargic. Our energy levels decrease, and we start ignoring anything that’s not essential. We procrastinate. We make no improvements. Our homes and health go downhill because we just don’t have the umph to get things done. We start becoming blind to what’s right in front of us. We choose to hit snooze instead of getting up and getting active. Our diets get junky and our looks get sloppy; we stop caring.
The struggle between comfortable and too comfortable is just as real in business it is in our personal lives. When we’re too comfortable in business, we ignore what needs to be updated and changed to meet a changing market. We miss opportunities, either because we’re not paying attention or because they seem like too much work. We become shortsighted, focusing on necessary daily survival but not taking the time to actively meet challenges that are just over the horizon. We become reactive, not proactive. We let our power naps turn into comas; we fall asleep, and the world passes us by.
So what do we do to break the spiral and get back on a forward track of growth? It’s the same in our personal lives as well as in our businesses: we become active again. We make resolutions to not hit snooze, but rather get up, get active, and get our blood flowing every day. We find a buddy to keep us on track, encourage us, and kick us in the pants from time to time. We get out and get a change of scenery, so when we come back we can see things with fresh eyes. And we ask those we trust for their own fresh eyes on our situation, to make suggestions and give us a necessary shot of reality.
We must make a concerted effort to break the cycle of lethargy … especially in our businesses. We must force ourselves to make the uncomfortable changes that are necessary to move us forward. We must grow, and not get lost in the flow.
We must wake up.
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For more information on Marty, please visit unclemartysoffice.com.
Source: AMBC Blog