Complacency is not what we are after.

When I was working at Google and struggling to figure out why I was so unhappy and didn't feel like I fit, I remember my best friend and I booked a conference room, lay on the floor (yep, that happened), and had some real talk. I was so frustrated about why I was unhappy and my complaining went something like this:

"ughhhhhh, but Google is the best place to work in the world, everyone else seems to be happy, why can't I just be happy not really enjoying my job? Why do I care so much, can't I just care less?"

Thank goodness for good friends who call us out because she asked me, a version of "I'm sorry, is our goal to care less in this world? Is complacency what we're after?" It has stuck with me for years - and I even wrote it at the top of a career manifesto I wrote that day:

"Complacency is not what we are after." - Lindsay Gordon

I hear this again and again and again from clients. "Everything is fine, nothing is terribly wrong, why can't I be happy? Everyone else seems to be! Why are my standards so high?" I once heard it described as a conspiracy of mediocrity. There are so many people coasting in adequacy, in "just ok" mode, not really lit up.

(Now, I'm not against this if it works for you, if you haven't seen it already, read my blog post on why it's OK to have a boring job. But I want you to actively choose it with intention and know why it's right for you which is different from apathy and complacency.)

So sure, many people are ok not taking action and are complacent with their disconnection and apathy. But I imagine you're not, just like I wasn't. Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Nothing may be terribly wrong, but is it okay to feel like you're wasting your time and your life? And living a bland existence? Is that what you really want? What does it mean to you if nothing changes? How long are you going to let that stop you from taking action?

So take the wise words of my former self, or better yet, write your own that apply to you, and let's be the people who are not after complacency. Reach out and let's talk to break through this culture of coasting and get you feeling connected, engaged, and alive.