Our society is built on convenience. People want things right away. Convenience is a huge part of our economy: variety stores, drive thru’s, microwaves, downloading. All of these have come about and thrive because of our need for convenience.
This brings up a problem though, if we live in a world of convenience we become comfortable and rarely go out of our comfort zone. This means we challenge ourselves less and hinders growth. There was a time when if you wanted to have Justin Bieber’s new Christmas album, you would have to go to the store, instead of just downloading it. This can almost bring us to a place of complacency if we are not careful.
The challenge is breaking away from complacency and convenience, and living a life that fosters growth and fulfillment. Can we meet most of our needs being complacent? Yeah, probably, but is that the kind of life you want to live?
I know I am guilty of getting this way sometime, but it is a matter of realizing when you are getting like that and making a conscious effort to change.
What have you done to break away from complacency?
I try doing something that terrifies me every once in a while. I’m not really a fiction writer, so I’m attempting to write a novel. I’m not good with dealing with those who are hurting (I never know what to say) so I volunteer to visit people in the hospital. Doing something scary every once in a while is a great way for us to get out of the convenience attitude and grow.
I agree, pushing yourself, and stretching your comfort zone really challenges who we are and is very terrifying! Good luck on the novel!