Do you ever feel like you are on the proverbial gerbil wheel that just goes round and round, in the same place, at the same pace, until you just plop from exhaustion of doing the same thing and getting nowhere different? You think about all the things you’d like to do or explore, but there is always something in the way, so the cycle continues.

There is a buzz that pervades our current cultural climate that yearns to be accepted and willingly yields to “well, it’s just the way I am” or “that’s just the way things are.” There seems to be a considerable lack of desire to want to grow, evolve or try to be better.

“Competition is always a good thing. It forces us to do our best. A monopoly renders people complacent and satisfied with mediocrity.” — Nancy Pearcey

There is a difference in accepting the ways things are and striving to be better at (fill in the blank). The range of possibilities could be being better at life, love, communication, promises, forgiveness, relationships, compromising, parenting and so on. If we just accept the status quo of being complacent and spinning on the gerbil wheel there will be slim opportunities to experience anything else.

“Never take the position that things just happen to you; rather, they happen because of something you did or did not do.” — Grant Cardone

I heard a phrase a long time ago that called certain life experiences “the right of passage.” Meaning, we reach certain points in life through experiences and action. Then it is a normal, natural right to progress toward the next phase of life, or “the right of passage,” distinct from, yet not necessarily disconnected from, the more commonly known rite of passage. Some examples of this are a child going from training wheels to a bicycle, a young adult moving out of the house and into their own place, retiring from a career and moving into a different phase of life, women going through menopause, and parents becoming empty nesters. All of these experiences are normal and natural and we move forward day by day into the next phase. What is not natural is to remain in a state of dormancy or complacency. It is not normal for someone else to do everything for us.

“Pushing beyond familiar boundaries is necessary for growth and achievement.” — John C. Maxwell

Everything starts somewhere, often small, like a seed being planted, whether it’s a flower, tree, thought, idea or dream. As we water it, think about it, or share it, it begins to blossom, grow and take shape until it becomes what it was meant to be. Ideas are infinite and ever-changing. When things change it’s because the elements have been tried, practiced, measured, tweaked, and transformed. The natural order of life is growth, not stagnation.

Oftentimes there is much comfort in routine. We become so used to it that we feel off if we aren’t doing the same things. Unfortunately, it is so subtle you don’t see the invisible shield closing you in. All situations, looking from the inside out, seem normal and natural. Caring for others who can’t care for themselves, working more than one or even two jobs, working and studying for a course, managing a family, children, work, friendships and other activities—these are just things that have to be done, and it leaves little time for you. Time for growth, change or even fun are not often in the picture. However, that is the subtle lie that would keep you complacent. Yes, it might require getting up earlier or going to bed later, but it requires making yourself a priority. It is necessary to nourish and feed your body, mind, soul and spirit if you want to break the complacency or status quo cycles.

“An inch of time is worth an inch of gold. But an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time.” — Chinese proverb

Make a decision to be “Status Go” and start small. Just do one thing different today than yesterday. Drive a different way home, maybe even go out of your way a little. Try that new restaurant you haven’t been to yet. If you brush your teeth before you take a shower, try brushing them after instead. Enter your house a different way. Get a best-selling book, read it, and then leave a review online. Volunteer for one hour this month at a new-to-you nonprofit. Go to a church service, or try a different church. These are very simple things to do, but you might need a simple start to get you going in a different direction. Make a pact with yourself for the next 30 days to do one little thing different each day. Keep a little notebook and write down what you do. When your 30 days is up you can review and see all the things you’ve done in a new way, or all the new things you’ve done.

No more “Status Quo” for you!

A parting thought for those struggling with beginning, shifting or trying to move toward something different: this is taken from one of my favorite reference books, 1001 Meditations by Mike George:

“Reviving the heart. I pray for spirit to revive my heart, to spark it with a relish for service. I hope that my desire to be a flame of love will spark other stalled souls to come alive, aflame with love themselves.” — modern affirmation, Mike George

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