Status Quo
Status quo is like gravity; it’s a constant force that must be resisted. Status quo is the enemy of flexibility and innovation.
We don't think much about gravity unless we have to climb a mountain, or a flight of stairs. If we don't resist gravity, we will become weak and muscles will atrophy. In the same way, we must be conscious of status quo, and resist it as well. If we resist gravity, we gain strength. If we resist status quo, we gain agility and ability to seize opportunity.
Status quo — The state of things; the way things are, as opposed to the way they could be;
Recognize and Resist
Resisting status quo doesn’t mean doing more. It’s not doing six things instead of four. We can’t keep doing more. More, more, more is unsustainable. Resisting status quo is about doing things better. It’s not doing more. It’s becoming more.
We can recognize status quo by asking questions, such as: “Can I go above and beyond the effort I’m expending now? Can I push into my potential a bit more? Is this an area I want to grow?” If the answer is yes, then we push a little more.
Becoming aware of our tendency to settle into a status quo pattern takes time. Developing awareness is not an on/off switch, it’s a long process of transforming our mind. Every thought we have leaves a trail in our mind. The more we think it, the clearer and wider the trail becomes. Recognize, resist, and replace is the process we go through to create better trails in our mind. Better trails lead to better destinations.
Finally
Status quo is the enemy of innovation. And we are the innovation. We are the transformation we want to see. We should always be thinking and doing at a level above our personal status quo.
Whatever you do, can you turn it up a notch? Can you go deeper? Can you move beyond your current boundaries? Can you try something new, right now?
It does not take Herculean effort to live a little higher. All we have to do is wake up every day with greater expectation. As the sun rises each day, let us strive to be as uncontainable as the dreams we dare to dream, and perhaps even become amazed at the person we are becoming.
To your success!
James Wilder
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