10 Signs You Might Be Complacent

People are constantly being urged to find their comfort zone, which is less of a place and more of a state of mind/being. What seems like a harmless piece of advice and encouragement can actually be a dangerous suggestion. Why? Because the comfort zone is home to complacency: a smug sense that you are where you need to be and that there is no real room for improvement, nothing more to be discovered or achieved. Complacency is a comfortable trap; here are 15 signs you might be approaching it.

Leo Hidalgo
Leo Hidalgo

1. You never feel scared or nervous

A lack of fear and nervousness in your life is usually a solid indicator that you aren’t taking enough risks. People who are complacent don’t like to leave their comfort zone and, therefore, tend not to take as many risks.

2. You aren’t learning

Every single day should be treated as a learning experience: an opportunity to acquire a new set of knowledge and skills and to build upon the foundation that already exists. Complacent people are content with what they already know or do and, consequently, don’t seek out new information or experiences.

3. You aren’t challenging yourself

A challenge can be something as big as learning a new language or as small as making it through a book you’ve been meaning to read. It’s about pushing yourself to do things as difficult as they are rewarding. Complacency holds people back from challenging themselves.

4. Your life is a constant routine

Having a solid routine can be great, but living a life where every day is the same as the one before can be as crushing to your creativity as it is to your soul. Complacent people are comfortable with the same old day-to-day routine and tend not to stray from it.

5. You reject change

Some people have no issue with picking up and moving to a new city. If you’re complacent, you are living within your comfort zone both mentally and physically. Why would you ever want to leave!? Rejecting change extinguishes the possibility of discovering things that may be different, but better.

6. You feel stuck/stagnant

Feeling stuck is something a majority of people will experience during their lifetime. However, someone who is complacent won’t try to climb out of the rut they’ve found themselves in.

7. You don’t try anything new

New experiences are what life is all about: travelling, trying different jobs, meeting new people, eating foreign food, etc. You’ll never know what you’re missing unless you take the plunge and try out something new! Complacency prevents people from feeling that urge to go out and seek the unprecedented.

8. You are totally predictable

Predictability is a clear indicator that you could be getting complacent. You frequent the same restaurants and bars; you have the same plans every weekend. People stop asking what you’re up to because the answer is always the same. Yikes!

9. You lack ambition

It’s great to have dreams and ambitions, but if you aren’t actively working towards achieving them then that’s all they will ever be. A lack of ambition is an absence of drive and passion to do and be better. To realize a dream and strive to attain it would be highly uncharacteristic of someone who suffers from complacency.

10. You stop growing

We all stop growing at some point, physically speaking. But you should never stop growing intellectually or spiritually. Think of complacence as a roadblock on your journey to become who you are. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

Melissa hails from the suburbs of New York. She is a self-proclaimed professional at eating pizza and maintaining composure while over caffeinated. Sometimes she is late for things because she takes too long to say goodbye to her dog. Connect with her on Instagram @melissamale.

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