Complacency, Settling, and "I'm Fine, Thanks"
When you feel stuck in a job you hate it is easy to just throw in the towel and start living a life filled with complacency. You start to settle in all aspects of your work, finances, and life.
You start living someone else's "Dream Life" instead of your own.
When people ask you "how you are doing?" you respond on autopilot with a boring:
"I'm fine, thanks."
Wake Up!
If this is you, it is time to wake up.
Not that long ago I was in the same situation. I had spent all of my adult years pursuing what "the authorities" in my life told me I should want.
A complete resumé. Comfortable job. Prestigious degrees. Good health insurance. 401k match. A mortgage. 2.5 kids.
It wasn't until I really sat down and realized that none of those things were as important to me as happiness that I started to take more risks like quitting my job and going on a three month road trip.
Luckily I was able to distill this on my own, but the awareness of this phenomenon of "settling" needs to be explored further and shared with people that are "stuck" to inspire them to change their lives for the better.
Enter "I'm Fine, Thanks"
My friend Adam Baker of Man Vs. Debt, alongside Crank Tank Studios, has been hard at work on a documentary that is almost complete called "I'm Fine, Thanks". The 5 person film crew drove all over the U.S. to interview over 60 people about the "complacency problem" in our society.
From their Kickstarter page: "It's a collection of stories about life, the choices we all make, and the paths we ultimately decide to follow.
We examine the factors that motivate and drive our major life choices. And, most importantly, whether or not the path we follow through life - and the habits we form based on that path - are truly connected with who we really are as individuals.
This is a movie about the moment people realize the life they're living is not the life that's true to their heart... and, as a result, what they decide to do about it!"
Here's the trailer for the "I'm Fine, Thanks" documentery on Kickstarter.
If you think that complacency is a bigger problem than most people and mainstream media will admit, then I encourage you to back this project on Kickstarter.
They have already reached their $100,000 goal with a few days to spare, but every $5 helps brings their message to a bigger audience.
Note: There is also a great interview with Adam Baker today over on Think Traffic.
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I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes that this project directly resonates with.
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman