Very few pursue their dreams, goals, life purpose or success, in general. Such pursuits require changes that have a way of shaking up our lives. These changes affect those closest to us – our immediate family, friends, colleagues, etc. This environmental disruption forces those affected to fight back. At first those defending their status quo fight back one at a time with dire warnings of the enormous risks involved. When that doesn’t work it evolves into a sort of collective, everyone affected singing the chorus of impending disaster. When that strategy fails, those most affected begin taking action to protect their status quo. This often manifests itself in threats (think break ups, separation, divorce, business split ups, etc.).
Most, at this point, slink back into the fold, rejoin the herd, sidelining their dreams, goals, life purpose and any pursuit of success. Complacency is a default switch for most everyone. It’s physiological – the brain does not want to exert itself, so we are all internally wired to lean towards complacency. Staying with the status quo is easier, less stressful and physiologically less demanding.
Yet, while we are all hardwired for complacency, we are also hardwired to pursue our dreams, goals, life purpose; we are hardwired to be creative, to take risks, to go for it in life. These two diametrically opposed instincts continuously battle one another. There is a war raging inside each one of us. The vast majority of the time, complacency wins out, primarily due to those around us, influencing us. But occasionally, it loses. A few do not succumb to complacency and rattle the status quo of their personal environment, pursuing their dreams, goals or their life purpose. These few overcome the call to complacency and go for it. We call these people self-made millionaires.
About Thomas C. Corley
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