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We’ve all felt the pressure to ignore things we’d rather not face head-on.
You may have noticed a leak in your gutter, a squeaking refrigerator door, or a noise coming from the serpentine belt under the hood of your car. We ignore things because we don’t feel like dealing with them at that moment in time, and perhaps other moments to come.
We ignore things because we perceive their effects to not be detrimental to our quality of life. The noise you hear while cruising down the highway may not be threatening to your safety at that moment. The leaking gutter only matters when there’s heavy rainfall, and the refrigerator door doesn’t make a squeak if you open it fast enough.
People tend to find ways around the things they don’t want to do. You’ll make excuses for why you shouldn’t tackle problems as you discover them, and you’ll put off things that you should be doing in the present moment. Sooner or later however, this habit will bite back.
This article aims to motivate you to stop ignoring problems that you discover, regardless of how small you perceive them to be.
The things you ignore tend to grow in their effect. Your serpentine belt may snap and cause damage while you’re driving, and that leak coming from your gutter may cause your basement to develop mold.
This article will take the approach of discouraging you from ignoring social triggers that others show. There will be times when your employee tells you they’re unhappy, your friends tell you they’re depressed, and spouses tell you that your actions cause them pain. Should you ignore these ques, you’ll encourage them to grow.
It’s Easier to Stunt Growth in Early, Fragile Stages
Should you choose to ignore an issue someone presents, it isn’t likely to sort itself out. Waiting in the dark in hopes of problems finding solutions for themselves will leave you unimpressed. Your inaction toward issues will encourage them to develop further. Their roots will spread and their brittle stems will turn to trunks. They will present themselves again in strengthened states. You’ll then no longer be able to simply pinch the stem and tear out the weed. Now, a saw will be required. The work it takes to solve issues that have been ignored for long enough will demand more attention than before.
Make it a habit to eliminate issues that others express at once. Do not ignore the pain of others, and do not ignore minor instances which have the potential to become issues but haven’t yet. Always assume that while you ignore something in your life, it is growing at a steady rate. The problem will once again present itself to you, and while you’re battling to put out other fires, this new fire will be burning with a bright blue-red flame.
Social Attraction Is About Control
Those who are accepted by their peers do not achieve that state by chance. A habit which many of the people you respect develop, is to not ignore the issues of those whose liking towards them matters. Whether it be your teammate, your manager, or your parents, ignoring any issue that you hear from others is a bad habit in many aspects. Apart from the already-mentioned encouragement of growth, ignoring someone else’s issues will make them feel unimportant. They’ll perceive your friendly gestures towards them as self-serving on your end, and will be less likely to positively respond to any issue that you face in the future.
Your social reputation depends on controlling and suppressing the growth of any issues others have concerning you. Should they bring up things that bother them, their issues have now been shared with you, and thereby concern you from that point on. Control their perceived feeling of importance by addressing what they’ve shared with you without ignoring it. Let others know that you’re willing to direct attention toward issues that they face, and be willing to lend a helping hand.
You may sometimes consider it a waste of time to help others with their issues as you have your own to worry about. This may be true, but always remember the cost of ignoring something, if it has your name attached. The act of ignoring simple things can make them grow into ones which demand your attention rather than merely ask for it. The act of ignoring your buddy’s plea for advice in a certain domain can grow into your them resenting your success in that same domain. The act of ignoring your manager’s ask of completing a trivial task at work can make them increase your workload out of a desire for control.
Be careful ignoring things in life. Assume that the things you ignore will grow and spread their roots. It’s best to always chop down little issues while they’re fragile. Allowing a problem to grow behind your back will encourage the element of damaging surprise.