CHANGE: just do it

As normal, everyday people we grow accustomed to comforts from an everyday schedule. We go home, turn on the television, watch a football game, or do anything at the end of a long day at work. Sometimes, this can turn into a reoccurring cycle. It’s good to have the comfort of familiarity when we go home, as it puts our mind at ease. However, this comfort can also come with danger.

Complacency is known as the tendency to be satisfied with the way things are. In many ways this is a good thing, as we cannot constantly be upset with things without bringing ourselves down. However, too much complacency can be a bad thing.

When we go through the same routine, we become content. We are happy with going back to the same thing after the busyness of a hard work day (or a tough day at college). But being too content leads us to accept things as they are. We do not seek change in this state.

Change is a powerful and terrifying word to the content individual. We see something different coming into our calm and perfect world and resist. We deny that reality and substitute our own as our preference. With this mindset, we see change as not necessary.

But it is a necessity. It was seen as such a necessity that President Barack Obama used it as the centerpiece of his 2008 presidential campaign. That simple word aided him in becoming the 44th president of the United States. Change is powerful, and in order for us to achieve great things we must embrace it. If we find that the change is unwelcome, we can just change it again.

That is the beauty of change. Change is something that stands as an ongoing and everlasting process. We should strive to try new things on a regular basis.

Complacency and contentment stand as enemies of change. “Why do something that could affect my life like that? I’m already happy with what I am.” Thoughts like these are dangerous. It prevents us from learning. It prevents us from growing. It prevents us from becoming the men and women that we are meant to be.

You may say that it is hard for a college student to become complacent. We are never given a schedule we can get used to for long. But when we return back to the campus from our breaks we can come back to doing the same things we are used to. We return to our regular clubs, go to regular sporting events, and surround ourselves in an atmosphere we can feel comfortable with.

New students are especially vulnerable to this, as they are sometimes wary to include new things in the sudden workload they are still getting used to. Even students who have been here for many semesters may be unwilling to push themselves beyond the workload they have to reach for new things.

With this in mind, we have one question to answer: How do we beat complacency?

The answer to that question is a little different for everyone. We are each unique individuals with our own ways to reach conclusions. An answer found by one person may not be the answer for another person. But there is one quote that we can come back to that can help us.

Just do it.

The immortal words of Shia LaBeaouf are said in passion and fire. “Yesterday you said tomorrow. Just do it!” Most people just laugh at his words, but he leaves us with an important message.

That club you were thinking of joining. Join it. That race you were thinking of running. Run it. That idea you want to suggest to your superiors. Suggest it.

Live your life with that same fire. You will never know what will happen until you try.