In 2004, the movie, Friday Night Light Lights was released. This was a dramatized account that followed the 1988 season of the Odessa, Texas Permian Panthers high school football team.
There’s a scene at a hamburger joint where a thirty-something guy sits down, uninvited, with the current high school football stars. He appears to have had some beverages not typically sold at a small-town drive-in, and has decided to give the football players some “motivation.” He shoves his fist at them, brandishing a high school championship ring, and says, “Maybe if you guys get your act together, you can get one of these!”
The irony of this encounter is that this “helpful mentor” is vividly painted as someone who is obviously not happy with his current life and has not improved on his previous one. He has not grown out of the “high school jock” persona. He sheepishly exits the scene after his wife yells at him to get in the car and help with the kids.
He’s living in the past.
Living in the past can cause us to become complacent and define our lives based on our previous accomplishments. This is a deadly trap.
Complacency kills.
When you accomplish certain goals it’s easy to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it must be temporary. If you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself stuck in that memory, with no plans for your future.
I know because I’ve been there. There was a time when I had reached one plateau and I stayed there too long. The drive to get better was always there, but it felt good to be lazy. Like a having stiff drink or bingeing on Game of Thrones, that feeling was temporary, and it slowed my progress. The scary part was that I didn’t notice.
I had to consciously focus and get the engine running again.
You’re defined by your future goals, not by your past accomplishments. If you measure your current self by your past, you won’t expand and grow. If you don’t continue to change and improve, I believe you will wither and die.
So, keep your mind focused on growth and improvement. Fight complacency at every turn. If you do that, you will experience life changes that you never dreamed were possible. It happens slowly and one step at a time, but the look back is dramatic.
If you click the button below, you can hear a few thoughts on complacency, viewed through the lens of history. But even if you’re not interested in the lesson, you’ll be treated to spectacular scenery from one of the most beautiful places in the world!
Click Here for Scenery and a Lesson from Ancient History!
Until next time!
Tom
