I read a very interesting article today from Tyler Cohen on his book “The Complacent Class”. The content hit way too close to home for me.

His assessment is that America has become or is becoming a Complacent Class of individuals, and I must agree.

I have been thinking quite a lot of late about my own complacency. I have written about this before. How I have allowed myself, as I have gotten older, to slow down. I find that I am more change adverse. I have lulled myself into believing in a false sense of security that I know does not exist.

I am not agile. And no, I don’t mean that in the cat like reflexes sense – I never had those. I am more like a great big bear. I am not quick or agile, but once moving I can be a force to be reckoned with.

But getting me in motion takes more an more these days. I can find myself often in analysis paralysis, overthinking a thing. Years ago I was more of the move, make quick decisions and let the chips fall kinda guy. Luckily, I have always had a knack for making good decisions quickly and have rarely had to ask for forgiveness later.

Then I hit middle age and the decisions seemed to have greater weight. So I started making them in a more calculated manner. Which, on the surface, does not seem like a bad thing. I now tend to make good, well thought out decisions as opposed to good, but rash, decisions that could count on a bit of luck to come out right.

But have I improved? Some, I suspect, yes. Because I am more calculated I go into decisions much better informed. I better understand the impact of a bad decision and thus weigh the calculated risk.

Do I make more good decisions this way? I am not so sure. When I was younger and more rash, maybe it was just dumb luck (or God having mercy on a fool), but I can’t really remember any major bad decisions. I am talking about business and life in general here.

So, is what I see as complacency based upon my need for greater security, less chance and less change really good?

I don’t think so. I think both in business and in life I reaped more benefit from my, possibly rash, behavior. Was it a bit chancy? Of course, but it was fun. I had far more fun in life back then. Now that I have grown up and become a truly responsible adult (ugh, that does leave a bad taste in the mouth when said out loud), life is kinda a drag.

This is probably one reason that my life outside of work and home responsibilities is lived out on a motorcycle. I needed something to help me keep the edge I felt early on. Back in the day when I spent my weeks sparring in martial arts classes and running hot in heavy in life.

I have traded a life of pseudo chance for one of safety, security, complacency and brief hair raising encounters riding a bike around and working with bikers in my spare time. Living my life on the edge elsewhere as it were.

I am even seeing this with Millennial workers who used to be very transient. Now even the young guys are staying longer and longer at companies, that in the past, they saw as stepping stones and not lifetime commitments.

At at time in their lives where they should be most upwardly mobile they are languishing in jobs that do not fulfill them. They are accepting decent pay packages and pseudo-security of a job in hand for two possibilities in the bush.

Had I to do it over again I would own my own business. Now as a writer and co-founder of a nonprofit, you could say that I do. But I can’t (at least not yet) make a living on these other things. Were I to do it over again, I would find a way to do so.

This is not to say that I do not like my corporate career. It has been very good to me over the years. The companies I have worked for, for the most part, have been good to me even if some of the people have not. But this is the case in any organization.

However, having a few friends who own their own successful businesses, I see the value in being your own boss.

However, I can say that I have viewed every role I have ever had in a company as my own business. I bring a very entrepreneurial spirit to the jobs I do. As such, I tend to build very strong and forward thinking organizations.

Thus, it is possible to “have your own business” even when it is in someone else’s corporation.

So this is the point where I typically think, “I need to take a closer look at where I am.” This, however, I know is code for “I need to spend the next year analyzing my situation and calculating how I improve.”

Maybe instead, I should just get in motion….become again what I can be when in motion; A force to be reckoned with!