Ajisebi Oyo Radio & TV

Why  Nigerians Must  Wake Up Now, Shun Complacency, Save their fatherland from Autocratic Administration (12)

They say there is no “neutral” in life. You either go forward or you go back, but you never stay where you are now.

I learned this from my late Royal Cicero Boss, the Alaafin of Oyo , His Imperial Majesty, Oba  (Dr.)  Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111.

Our days were always dynamic, and political pressures continually pushed us outside of our comfort zones.

Unpredictable events surfaced everyday and we found ourselves learning, adapting, reframing, and steering the issues to the most favorable outcomes we could imagine. It was a tough environment.

I did not recognize it at the time, but my sense of chronic discomfort was a sign of development and growth, essential elements for helping us thrive in an ever-changing world.

This experience taught me that the opposite of discomfort is complacency. Complacency is an attitude that we develop when we enjoy prolonged comfort.

We become so self-satisfied, so smug about our own well-being, that we remain unconscious of the dangers that may lie ahead.

What does complacency look like in the work world? Over time, our behaviour and work patterns become habitual and focused on preserving things the way they are, giving us a false sense of control.

This phenomenon afflicts individuals as well as organizations and, in both cases, adverse consequences evolve so gradually that we become numb to what’s happening.

One cannot learn, grow, and develop in a culture of complacency. If we are too cozy with our success, we risk squandering the ability to break away from what we think of as a tried-and-true way of doing things.

Complacency leads to risk-aversion, missed opportunities, and even boredom. We limit our chances to experiment, innovate, and to make new connections.

Complacency can lull people into a false sense of security and cause them to downplay any risks that surround them. The more comfortable they get doing something (and nothing bad happens) the less they think about the associated hazards.

And the longer they go without an incident, the more confident they become that nothing bad will happen until the thought doesn’t even enter their mind. When it comes to workplace safety, complacency can make all of the safety measures put in place void.

Can you ask yourself, when was the last time that you did something completely new or different? If the answer takes too long for you to articulate, chances are that you are experiencing complacency.

Think about what made you successful. What could you replace it with? What would you like your ideal future to be? Placing yourself outside of your comfort zone can trigger strong emotions of vulnerability and anxiety, but also exhilaration and hope for the possibilities ahead.

To be continued …