Thoughts about the Status Quo

During a long drive today, I had some time to think about the status quo, tradition, and people who justify their actions because "that's the way it's always been done."Here are some thoughts about that:

• If you do what you've always done, you'll never achieve more than you ever have. In fact, the law of diminishing returns says that you'll continue to succeed less and less.
• People who maintain the status quo aren't driven by satisfaction - and certainly not the satisfaction of their key stakeholders. People who hold the status quo are driven by fear: fear of change, fear of failure, and ultimately, fear of success.
• Nothing great has ever been achieved by someone who said "that's fine the way it is."
• The easiest way to be left behind is to stand still.
• There are there kinds of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who wait for things to happen, and those who wonder, "what the heck just happened?"
• Sometimes, the best way to honor tradition and those who have come before you is to challenge what they've done or to make it better.
• Someone has to be a pioneer, a leader. It will either be you or it will be your competitor.

Bottom line: challenge the status quo.