I really believe in approach. Today talent is everywhere, creativity is more accessible than ever, and we have the ability to connect like we never have. Our approach sets us apart. Our attitude, our thought process, our hustle…it matters. There was a day that talent permissioned people to act however they want and even permissioned people to get comfortable and lazy…but today, anyone can be replaced at any time. We have to be as hungry, excited, filled with vision, and passionate EVERYDAY as we were the FIRST DAY we came to work. Remember that day? We showed up, dressed up, feeling we could take on the world. We didn’t have all the answers but we had a lot of questions. We wanted to do our best. We knew we could make a difference.

Then, over time, we wear down. We start to believe that “things are ok how they are” or “we can’t take the risk”, or “is it worth it to try that”, or “that’s not who we are”, and so on…

We once thought anything was possible…now we wonder if that is true.

But it is…

When we start to hear these comments it is a warning sign we are getting comfortable and that maybe we have started to replace our faith and vision with our desire to maintain. No one wants to maintain. Maintenance is poison to creativity and passion.

So what happens when we realize we have drifted into this place?

• Fight being complacent – This has to be battled. Refuse to let it live. When you feel it or hear it, call it out and cast vision that will destroy it. We have an opportunity and likely a calling on our life. What we GET to do is greater than our problems.
• Refuse to become addicted to resources – Don’t allow the resources we are blessed with to become a crutch. Limited resources put a premium on creativity, ingenuity, and innovation. Never buy your way where you can work your way.
• Believe in your potential – It was great when you started…and it is even greater today. Potential mixed with experience can be lethal. Believe in your potential the way you did when you were audacious and not bound by others expectations. You got this!
• Revisit the beginning – Stop for a minute. Remember when you started. Explore those old feelings. Remember when, why, and how you got here…nothing can fire you back up like a trip down memory lane.
• Embrace Limitations – Limitations are a secret weapon. Knowing what might not be able to be accomplished today helps us to maximize what CAN be accomplished today. Your limitations are the springboard to tomorrow’s success. The funny thing that limitations never figured out is that when we use them, we kill them.

So when you we drift into maintenance, when our approach gets compromised, and when we start to get comfortable its time to bump the breaks. We believed we had to start so lets make sure we get the chance to finish!

What are some ways you fight being comfortable or compromising approach?