As the flakes began to fall, I remembered all those days of yore when we’d be hurrying out to Blockbuster™ to stock up on movies in the teeth of the oncoming storm. (And, of course, that concomitant stack of DVDs on the kitchen counter that likely was overdue.)
No more. Streaming video from Amazon™ now. Whenever and wherever we want it.
And Blockbuster™… is gone. Because they believed, as the dominant player and market maker, that their business model would last forever; that the status quo was too powerful to fail; that they could never get hurt; that they would always reign supreme.
They got complacent.
And complacency is bad.
- In business
- In finance
- In marriage
- In health and wellness
Complacency is about disinterest, arrogance, indifference, lack of foresight, and lack of care.
It’s about inattention.
It’s about ignoring what is.
You don’t want to get complacent. Because when you get complacent, the rug will surely be pulled out from under you.
I have suffered massive business turmoil and relational upheaval when I’ve taken my eye off the ball.
You want to keep your eye on the ball.
It’s ok to be discontent. It means you know you can do better, be stronger, go farther, up your game. Often we need the nudge of discontent to push us and move us beyond our comfort zones; to dislodge us from the status quo.
It’s ok too to be content. In fact, it’s good to be content.
Contentment is a deep knowing that the work you have been doing, the investments you’ve been making, and the attention you’ve been giving, have yielded fruit, are paying dividends.
Contentment is confidence, suredness, and groundedness; satisfaction with a job well-done.
Contentment brings gratitude.
But whether from a place of discontent or a place or contentment, the essential questions are always:
- How can I continue to nurture my career
- How can I continue to grow my business
- How can I pay even more attention to my clients
- How can I delight my customers even more
- How can I learn more and know more and think clearer
- How can I take my relationship to the next level
- How can I take care of my family even better
- How can I get healthier and fitter and even more vital
- How can I give back even more
- How can I play even bigger
Complacency will never come and bite you when you ask these questions… and keep asking them.
The best is here and now. And the best is yet to come. Travel that edge and you will know what it is to be alive.
Stay away from Blockbuster ‘success.’
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