Comfort is For Blankets or Couches.

How many of you would agree with the statement that leadership is a starving art? I believe it one hundred percent. There are several leadership roles. Leader at work. Leader in the relationship. Leader of a family. Spiritual leader. You get the point. I am a workplace leader myself, and it's why I wrote this.

At work, I mostly see nothing but followers. The "leaders" in my workplace are anything but most of the time. It seems like no one takes responsibility in their roles. They are there to try to get away with doing as little as possible (as most do in a grocery store) and try to make it to Friday to collect a very much undeserved paycheck. Some of these individuals have been around for 20 years and make twice as much money as I do with half the work.

In life, some people that I know don't take the initiative to go for a better job or get out of a bad relationship. They only say to themselves, "Don't rock the boat."

In relationships, I see leaders abusing trust, abusing substances, or abusing the body or the mind. Why do we stay there?

Comfort, my friends. Sometimes self loathing, but usually comfort is the answer. Don't rock the boat = Comfort. Go from one bad relationship to the next = Comfort. Do as little as possible so as to not move a hair out of place = Comfort. Comfort has it's chains all over us.

Is it bad to be comfortable? Not entirely. The problem with comfort is that it's nice at first. After a little while, you get used to the plush or microfiber (or whatever fabric you enjoy) and become complacent. Not too long after, you become stagnant. No growth. No motion. No motivation. This, folks, is where Comfort has his evil grips on you. I've been there before. Just lay still and they'll stop shooting at you. Guess again. You become easy pickings. After Complacency has his way with you, you're pretty much worthless where you are.

We have enemies, people! And they have rented your sense of urgency with no intent to return (or rewind, for those of us old enough to have rented video tapes)! I believe there are only a few ways to stay out of this path. Out of this habit:

1. Accountability. At work, I have the guys underneath me keep me accountable to the standard I hold them to. It's important for me because at any moment, I could knowingly or unknowingly slip below my standards real quick. It also lets them know that I am serious about always performing at the highest level possible.

2. Photosynthesis. Just kidding. I don't convert light to energy.

3. Avoid. Avoiding situations where you could become too comfortable. If you're one of those people with little self control, this one is probably for you.

We are all, in one way or another, leaders. We really should all care greatly about what we lead. You never know, being too comfortable can lead you to inaction or bad decisions and you could lose a job, a relationship, trust, or ultimately, respect. And trust and respect are vital traits in a leadership. You kinda need those.