For some reason, and don't ask me what it is because I still haven't figured it out yet myself, but for some personal reason I am working to get my TCLEOSE license (TX Police) back. I let it lapse when I left law enforcement many - many years ago but now have this inner desire to get it back. Maybe for no other reason than "I can." Now, I have no desire to leave what I'm doing and return to law enforcement, for one reason "I'm too old! That's a young man's gig. But I still want it back.
In this process I've had to take some TCLEOSE classes to refresh my law enforcement knowledge and skills. I'm taking some classes in person and others online through TCLEOSE. Now this is where my ranting comes into play. The in-person classes have been fairly current on their content and overall well done (it's unfair for me as an educator to evaluate cops as teachers, but I can't help it). But the online classes (through TCLEOSE mind you) are another story. The content is completely outdated and just, well, wrong! So, as a good educator and former cop I called TCLEOSE (no, I can't let it go). Their response? Oh, we just hired someone to do those classes [sometime in the past] and haven't really looked at them since. I explained that the classes have incomplete sentences and words and the content is dated and wrong. They've assured me they'll review the courses, both online and in-person and make changes as necessary.
We'll see, but what this really illustrates is how easy it is to become too comfortable with what we have. The classes have worked for all this time so why should we look to see if they're still valid? We're comfortable and we haven't received any complaints so why bother? They've become too comfortable with what they have. Why bother? Because the classes are wrong! But, it's easier to leave them wrong in our comfort than it is to review and update because that stirs the pot.
Is there anything in your life (personal, work, spiritual) that you may be too comfortable with but it's too easy to leave things that way? Sometimes we have to change things just because it is the right thing to do, comfortable or not. In my role as an instructional dean I encourage my faculty to continuously review their curriculum and programs. It's not comfortable but comfort is not the agenda. Producing quality programs is. I want the same to hold true for my personal and spiritual life too. I don't wan to become too comfortable with Rochelle in our marriage, I want it to increasingly become stronger and deeper and more than it could be if we never worked on it. I never want my relationship with God to become too comfortable or easy. I want it to grow and become deeper, and yes, uncomfortable at times.
What about you? Has it become too easy to become too comfortable? Something to think about.
Lead Strong,
Shawn
