Mundanity is bad for you
What does the term ‘status quo’ mean to you? To me, it’s Mundanity. The same thing, day in and out, a predictable cycle that lulls us into a sense of security - and stagnation.
Whenever I’ve experienced this, I’ve inevitably found myself yearning for more. Maybe you do too. But the question always seems to be: how do we break free from the mundane without throwing everything off-balance? Without throwing away everything we hold dear, have worked so hard for, that we need to get by in life?
When the cracks in our status quo start to show, what do we do? Ignore them and hope they disappear? Or paper them over, thinking we’ll wait it out for now. Or do we embrace them, pry them open and venture into the unknown with courage (and perhaps a readiness for some adventure)?
All too often, we take the seemingly easier route of ignoring these cracks. Because it all comes down to the fact that change can be scary.
We cling to what's familiar, fearing the loss of comfort. But by ignoring or patching these cracks, we risk missing opportunities for a fulfilling life.
I say it a lot - fulfilment shouldn't be considered a luxury; it's essential. I honestly believe we all deserve to find meaning, joy and reward in our work. However, typical "just do this" advice often overlooks the realities we face. We can't control external circumstances, bills need paying, we have obligations to others and we often don’t allow ourselves to even consider, let alone dream, of something different.
The key lies in preparing ourselves to recognize and seize opportunities when they emerge.
The process is simple (though not to be confused with easy!) I call it Release, Refresh, Renew.
Release: recognise the fear-based things (thoughts, attitudes, habits, even people sometimes) that encourage you stay in the status-quo; discern which fear category they fall into:
true survival fears (eg: I won’t have enough money to live),
social comparison fears (eg: I won’t look like I’m doing as well as my friend)
legacy fears (eg: I won’t be able to have the meaningful experiences I really want to in my life)
Inherited fears (eg: when my grandmother did this thing, she says it ruined her life)
True survival fears and legacy fears are important to mitigate, while social comparison fears and inherited fears are your candidates for releasing - these are things that legitimately hold you back more often than they motivate.
Prioritse the order in which you will release social and inherited fears, and which true survival fears and legacy fears are most important to avoid
Refresh: of the fears you release, you leave a space for new things to take their place - so take this opportunity to refresh your perspective about yourself and how you’ll mitigate the survival and legacy fears with positive action.
Renew: you can do things differently by renewing the way you make decisions. What you pay attention to is what you’ll make decisions about, which governs how you’ll act, so you renew how you make decisions to make change in your life.
I said this is a simple process, but not easy.
Because making personal change in a way that balances our legitimate fears and desires just isn’t easy a lot of the time. That’s just the honest truth.
But you can exercise more control and increase your chances of success by taking this approach.
I advocate for this because it’s a holistic approach - it’s head, heart and hands. When you can navigate your way from the mundanity of the status quo into something more aligned to you and your needs, you find yourself on the right pathway to fulfilment.
Straying from the status quo isn’t always a grand gesture or a dramatic life change - it’s more about acknowledging the cracks and choosing courage alongside comfort. It's about knowing fulfilment is a journey paved with exploration, renewal, and the confidence in a more vibrant life just beyond the familiar. So, are you ready to pry open a crack and see what awaits?