Pogo Revisited

“We have met the enemy and they is us.” Pogo

I always loved that quote from Walt Kelly’s comic strip. His animal characters, the residents of the swamp, reflect all the foibles of human nature—selfishness, stupidity, greediness, and narrow-mindedness, but ironically, they are harmless because most of their faults are directed inward toward themselves.

What an accurate representation of the world that we live in! We complain about taxes, laziness, and too many governmental rules and regulations that result in the short-circuiting of our personal self-actualization. But the simple fact is this: It’s our fault. Many of us have lost our personal moral compass and as a result, certain institutions must step in to act “in loco parentis”.

How does this relate to careers, education and your life?
In the swamp, Pogo Possum is the only character that sees this. Take a look at your own life, can you see it?

In our search for something meaningful, we are our own worst enemy. Instead of choosing the difficult journey, we opt for the easy road. With the malodorous fear of success in our head, we subconsciously self-sabotage our well-being to sink back into our comfort zone, where we are lulled into complacency and sleepwalk through our lives.

It is excruciatingly painful to grow and change. You must navigate unchartered territory never knowing the outcome of that journey, but hoping that it matches that vision planted in your head. You're oblivious to the fact that everything and everyone around you is changing everyday. It’s an imperceptible change that you don’t feel or recognize, but it’s there just the same. You are the only one kicking and screaming to remain in the same place.

Start today and make your inner self your best friend, instead of your worst enemy. Monitor your daily actions and see if you, yourself, are the one barricading yourself from your ultimate potential.