The Barefoot Corporate Warrior
Paul Bird questions whether the ‘Cult of Inconvenience’ Trumps our Land of Efficiency.
Do you blow a gasket over unanticipated hitches and glitches? Are you a follower of the ‘Cult of Inconvenience’ or do you only ‘lose it’ after several buttons are pushed?
Are you drifting along in a fog of inflammatory reaction or is it time to take a stand against this unhelpful habit? Choosing to be inconvenienced by life’s surprises can be a drag on your mental and emotional outlook. I have recently experienced a series of (I stress ‘minor’) mechanical failures and organisational disappointments. None of these was my fault, they simply happened and all were due to circumstances beyond my control. In time, each was rectified. However, I was forced to change plans, take different actions, allot more time than anticipated and respond to those involved.
In short, I had been inconvenienced! Really! Me? How dare they?! How I chose to respond to these incidents was entirely my choice. Or was it? I was initially annoyed, expectations dashed about how a particular activity was supposed to unfold and felt I had lost precious time and allowed my imagination loose on the likely (negative) ripple effects. I want to stress that I’m not talking about life-altering changes but rather those microbumps which can crash our party.
We have crafted a world where we expect and enjoy such a high standard of living that something is bound to go wrong from time-to-time; a house of cards ready to collapse at the slightest disruption. However, if we zoom out, most things work extremely well most of the time. We are generally friendly and helpful with an efficient, attentive and responsive. Mostly.That is why when some form of chaotic, ad-hoc or ramshackle event – which many people elsewhere live with on a daily basis – rears up, we reel in shock. Have we become victims of our own well-oiled machine? Are we spoilt to the point of turning into a bunch of precious self-absorbed namby-pambies? Have we become (shock, horror)… unresilient?
I realised (tick for me as awareness is the first step towards change) as these unanticipated incidents were unfolding that I had some choices: I could practice acceptance and simply flow along while maintaining my positive demeanour; I could display my annoyance to the people involved publicly while maintaining an inner calm; I could respond with understanding and joviality publicly while internally seething; or I could ‘arc up’ both publicly and internally, most likely ruining everyone’s day, including my own. The arc up option leaves a bad taste in my mouth, often for hours after the issue is over. The only person suffering then is me – or those I encounter afterwards. Yet this response seems to be an automatic go-to for many people who are almost primed for next-level anger.
To unlearn this ‘Cult of Inconvenience’ habit, a proactive approach is required. Number one is admitting there is a problem – simply being aware of our reactions to inconveniences. I am no saint in this regard and have some ‘form’ in the irritation stakes. But, being aware allows me to sometimes pause in the moment and become aware of my response choices. The second is to decide the desired state of being. For me, the goal is to achieve a genuine ‘floating above’ the hurley burley. Seeing the big picture also helps. Is this life-threatening? Is this something that I can adapt to and solve as a rational, thinking human being? Reminding oneself of the number of people in the world living without safe drinking water is another, more extreme method. The answer by the way is around two billion people or 25% of the world’s population!
Coming to acceptance of the normality of how life unfolds with its many small inconveniences requires a change in mindset, aided by physiological tactics such as taking a slow breath and pausing as the ‘bad news’ is delivered. How about ditching the eye rolls, exaggerated sighs and twisted facial expressions and maintaining a placid/neutral face – the physical can influence the mental/emotional. Simply smiling in the moment is a good circuit-breaker. Find what works for you and develop it.
Travel can be a source of unwelcome discomfort and changes. A Buddhist monk guru I regularly listen to suggests to expect things to ‘go wrong’ when taking a flight so that when they do it is no big deal. It was expected, therefore, expectations cannot be ruined. With this mindset we should just relax and roll with the punches as our journey unfolds. Extend this approach to the everyday. Easier said than done. There is a societal and emotional toll which the general ‘air of annoyance’ creates, sapping positive energy from each of us and those around us. Australians prove time-and-time again that their general demeanour is one of respect and collegiality, a ‘live-and-let-live’ openness which brings much credit to us as a people. But I also detect a paper-thin fragility to this respectability, the ‘arc up’ response is poised and ready to appear over the smallest perceived slight.
Those happy-go-lucky individuals who seem cheerful through all manner of disruptions, floating above it all with a detached demeanour are to be admired and aspired to – if genuine. This seeming equanimity can sometimes be superficial and easily shattered, resulting in a volcanic explosion nowhere in sight previously. More work required. Being inconvenienced, no matter how trivial, seems to be a great inconvenience to many. Continually ratcheting up the stress hormones over minor matters can’t be good for our physiology. It certainly doesn’t help our mood. And if we carry a sour mood around for a few hours or the rest of the day, those relationships which actually do matter could also suffer.
It is time to try to break the inconvenience response cycle, for everyone’s sake.
