Are You SURE You're Not Okay with That? How to Notice—and Overcome—Compacency

Occasionally I get upset. When this happens, it can be because I have noticed a situation I am not OK with, but I am complacent. It can be a sales strategy, strategic direction, employee handling, an investment, or many other situations. In my self-talk or in my speaking I create, “I am not OK with that!” (Sometimes there are curse words sprinkled in for emphasis). 

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Noticing My Complacency

This has become a trigger for me.  If I reflect on how many times I may have said in my self-talk or in my speaking, “I am not OK with that!” I can become reticent. Is this the first time, the second time, the fifth time, or the 25th time I have thought this? When I notice I am somewhere between the fourth and eighth time, I toss myself the line, “Am I sure I am not OK with that?” Ouch, that’s a hard question to hear.

I declare I am not OK with it, and yet here I am four to eight times later and still I have not done anything that would change the situation. It still exists, and I am tolerating it.  I have not taken the action that would produce a new desirable situation. Or, I have chosen to stay in the situation, meaning the statement of “I am not OK with that!” is camouflage or a lie.

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Overcoming My Complacency

When reflecting on the line “Am I sure I am not OK with that?” I am able to bring my actions in line with my chosen stand. From this line, I have fired employees, ended vendor relationships, quit companies, refused to implement flawed strategies, been released from projects, and created some connections with powerful leaders.  

I find that tossing this line enables me to look in the mirror with no regrets.

When I notice others who recurrently say they are not OK with a situation, I toss the line, “Are you sure you are not OK with it?”

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