Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal.”

— Ray Bradbury, ‘Fahreinheit 451’

I met Mr. Status Quo and I am not a fan. I knew from the start he doesn’t have your best interest in mind. He wants you to do the same things as everyone else and make the same mistakes which lead nowhere. You’ll wonder “why is my business not growing?” The answer is because you’re still listening to Mr. Status Quo.

He is named Mr. Status Quo, but he is anything but a man. He’s a creature that assumes the form of man or beast, or sometimes both. Whispering seductive promises to a willing listener’s ear. Tales of children being led astray by a monster are just infantilized misrememberings of Mr. Status Quo preying on people. He makes you fearful of failure. He even takes the shape of friends and family. Anytime you hear ‘safe’ advice, advice meant to keep you rooted in place, you’re speaking with Mr. Status Quo.

You want to grow. But real growth involves some amount of risk. Risk you must be willing to take, because behind your waking eyes are dreams and ambitions, and the cost of those ambitions is risk. Mr. Status Quo sells synthetic guarantees and safety. If the price of a false sense of security is your hopes and dreams; aren’t you overpaying?

One day I asked him, “Why do you do what you do?” He smiled a hungry grin and said, “because it’s easy, they all line up single file like ants marching towards honey. Too hypnotized to notice their comrades stuck in it.” Licking his teeth clean of dreams and ambitions he flicks a toothpick away. “The best part is they’re more than happy to do it.”

However, Mr. Status Quo has a weakness, you probably won’t believe me when I tell you, but next time you run into him try it. I promise you it will work. What most people don’t realize is that Mr. Status Quo holds the key to unlocking your greatest aspirations. He uses it to keep you penned in and unrealized like livestock. But his Achilles Heel lies in his words. His words laced with poisonous lies become words that ring with virtuous truth. When that dreaded beast crosses your path turn your back to him and say the opposite of what he says. You now hold the key to your highest aspirations. He will be powerless against you, his lies will hold no sway because you are rooted with truth.

That’s why I hate Mr. Status Quo. Avoid him at all costs. Don’t listen to him and keep far away. Let your dreams light your eyes and guide your way, and forget guarantees of security. They don’t exist.

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