Growing up I was afraid to be extraordinary, afraid to stand out. I was ok with the routine of going to school, getting enough on a test just to get by. I was ok with not trying to be smarter than others, so I wouldn’t stand out, or be picked on. I was ok with being average, I was complacent. What is complacency you ask?
Dictionary.com defines complacency as “a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like.”
You may not walk through life wondering “Am I complacent?” But if you are doing the following things, you have allowed yourself to fall into a routine of complacency.
Complacent individuals:
- Make excuses. Nothing is their fault, it’s the universe
- Allow life to just happen, they don’t step outside of their daily routines and do not like change
- Don’t make an effort to learn new things, they are OK with the knowledge that they have already
- Have little to no desire to go after their dreams. They eventually stop growing
Now you’re probably thinking OMG! I’m complacent, “What should I do?” Well the answer is simple…”Be Extraordinary!”
Extraordinary individuals:
- Are not afraid to stand out. You need to believe in yourself. Not everyone will follow you on your journey or your vision but you have to be OK with that
- Think outside the box. Be creative, dream BIG, achieve BIG
- Get a mentor, no one said you have to do it alone. There’s at least one person that will go the extra mile with you
- Think positive. The world and others in it are full of so much negativity but you cannot allow that to get you down or stop you from going for what you want
Now that you’ve got the tools to be extraordinary there’s no excuse for complacency any longer because, the fear of tomorrow stops you from living today.
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Elizabeth Njoku is a Registered Nurse with a Masters Degree in Nurse Education. She has a passion for impacting the youth, and is also one of the Advisors at NEU Gen Leaders. She loves reading, dancing, and Netflix-and-chilling. You can contact her at [email protected].