How Complacency Can Stop You from Moving Forward

You live in a world that encourages you to be the best and to constantly improve yourself. But regardless of your ambitions, one of the strongest pillars of your well-being is being at peace with who you are . Nevertheless, this pillar is not immune to the attack of certain erosive agents. For example, extreme conformity or systematic acceptance. In fact, complacency can slow you down.

It can leave you stuck in feelings of unhappiness. We will talk about it in this article.

First of all, you are not obligated to improve in any area or make changes that you do not want . Personal development is just that, personal. Just because your partner likes to play sports or exercise doesn't mean you have to too. Or just because your friend follows a strict diet doesn't mean you have to do the same.

Everyone is different and some are more motivated or inclined to work in certain areas than others. That said, if there is a certain aspect of your life that is causing you discomfort and you really want to work on it, complacency can prevent you from achieving it. That's when you should do something about it.

Complacency

Self-satisfaction is defined as a feeling of satisfaction with your own way of being or acting . It means that you are satisfied with who you are and with what you do. You feel that you are already who you should be and that you are doing what you should be doing. It's about acceptance and the ability to be at peace with your own reality.

Self-satisfaction thus has a positive and bright aspect. It allows you to be okay with what is happening and which you cannot change . Because there are always parts of your life that you cannot change. Fighting against them only generates emotional wear and tear. Therefore, being satisfied with e.g. your height or your innate temperament (immutable aspects) save you a lot of suffering.

Self-satisfaction is also useful for those people who tend to be extremely self-blaming and rigid . Those who feel they always have to do more and that they are never enough. Those who feel they need to improve and who never stop trying to prove themselves.

In these cases, it is really healthy to learn to appreciate their own values, recognize their merits and accept the here and now . On the other hand , people hurt themselves in several ways when they fall into the habit of excessive complacency.

Complacency: An obstacle to moving forward

The dark side of complacency is that it causes you to ignore your responsibilities. The responsibility you have to yourself in terms of looking after yourself, developing yourself and taking responsibility for your life.

There are three primary ways this attitude can affect you. They are as follows.

Accusations and victim role

If you are happy with who you are and what you do, but are still unhappy with your life, you have no choice but to blame an external actor. Thus, you place the responsibility on your parents, your boss, your friends or your partner. You convince yourself that they are the cause of your frustration and unhappiness. Because they don't behave as they should.

This kind of self-deception makes you feel that you have already done everything you can and should do, and that if something goes wrong, it no longer has anything to do with you. However, this lack of self-criticism prevents you from moving forward . After all, you are ultimately responsible for your own life. No one is going to live it for you.

Lack of self-confidence

Complacency also causes you to be overly complacent and to forgive yourself for multiple transgressions. If you e.g. set a goal to start working out on Monday, but it's Thursday and you haven't started yet, you forgive yourself for not sticking to your plans.

Behind your complacency, however, lies short-term comfort and reinforcement. When you don't feel like exercising, you convince yourself that there is nothing wrong. You say that you already have a healthy enough life or that you deserve to rest.

When this attitude is repeated day after day, it hinders your progress, even if it is progress that you have defined for yourself and that you want to achieve , but to which you do not commit.

Impaired self-esteem

Finally, self-esteem is also affected by self-satisfaction. People who are overly complacent tend to praise themselves and brag about every little achievement while overlooking the areas that need improvement. This is what happens to fathers and mothers who reward and praise their children excessively: Their words are empty.

In reality , self-esteem is built on facts , the challenges you overcome, the goals you set and achieve, and the successes you reap. When you become too conformist, make excuses and engage in self-deception, it affects your self-image. You may find that you feel less competent and more unmotivated.

Being smug in a smart way

In short, we cannot say that complacency has a negative character or is always bad. In fact, to some extent (and especially for some people) it is positive and beneficial. However, it is important to find a balance with self-criticism and demands on yourself .

If you are too conformist, complacent and complacent, you risk being trapped in unsatisfactory realities. Therefore, remember to accept what you cannot change, but work on what you can and want to change.