Idleness, indolence, laziness, listlessness, sloth are all shades of inertia; the opposite of these are drive, industriousness, application, the impulse to take charge and get going!
Laziness manifests itself in all sorts of insidious aspects in people’s everyday life. For some, it becomes an untimely indulgence, as happened with the hare who decided to take a nap at the most inopportune moment in the race; for some, it becomes habitual, like stubborn children who refuse to do their homework; for some of us, it is built into our routine, as it happens with grown-ups who spend hours before the TV watching mindless entertainment programs; for yet others, it becomes an attitude to work, as they master the art of shirking work and following the path of least effort and least contribution even in their paid employment. Getting away with as little work as possible becomes their motto.
Idleness, indolence, laziness, listlessness, sloth are all shades of inertia; the opposite of these are drive, industriousness, application, the impulse to take charge and get going!
Sloth is an attitude that puts physical comfort and disinclination to strive before all else; it makes people disregard their duties and responsibilities and shows scant respect for others. Christian saints warn us that spiritual sloth is even worse: for it makes us disregard our responsibilities to God and our own souls.
Most of the wealthy men I know are hardworking; they put in longer working hours than many of their employees
Experts say that there is something called a “comfort zone” for each one of us: it is nothing but mental conditioning by which we create our own boundaries which suit us and our sense of comfort and security: we choose to stay within these bounds, and refuse to step out. Without exception, all successful people are known to have boldly stepped out of their comfort zones to accomplish their goals and desires! If we stick to our comfort zones, we would never learn new skills and achieve better performance. Inertia and mental indolence stops us from doing this. We are content with the status quo; we lack drive and ambition; we are content to let things drift...
But let me warn you: laziness is not to be dismissed as a comical excess; it is a serious issue which can mar your prospects and take you to the brink of failure. It is a dangerous form of escapism, an addictive behavior pattern that leaves you in lethargy!
Many people are apt to imagine that entrepreneurs, wealthy businessmen and corporate bigwigs are always enjoying a life of pleasure and extravagance; they are far from right. Most of the wealthy men I know are hardworking; they put in longer working hours than many of their employees; they often sacrifice personal time and personal pleasures; they pursue their goal with single-minded determination and focus.
If you are habitually lazy, you can’t become a successful businessman overnight. But as a first step towards success, you must break out of the rut of sloth and apathy. Let me also warn young parents, do not spoil your children! Do not indulge them in needless pampering and luxury. Teach them the value of hard work and personal effort when they are young! .
How can you overcome laziness? Let me offer you a few practical suggestions:
By Dada JP Vaswani
