Many people settle into job positions which they find relatively comfortable, and so become complacent and completely abandon their sense of career ambition altogether, opting instead to go with the flow day by day.

While this may seem like a pretty comfortable existence, it comes with many downsides, not least of all being that it dramatically reduces the odds that you’re going to continue to progress in your career in the way that you would if you were more proactive.

Here are some other reasons why you should never become complacent in your job.

It sets you up for a shock if and when you’re made redundant

You may feel that your job position is quite secure, and you may enjoy it well enough. In today’s fast paced business world, however, job security is something that no one can afford to take for granted, even at the highest levels.

Despite your best efforts and hopes, you’re likely not immune to being made redundant, and may well find yourself in that position sooner or later.

If you’ve been complacent and have taken your job role for granted, this can catch you completely off guard and present real issues in your life.

If, on the other hand, you’re always seeking promotion in your company, keeping an eye on the job offerings made by rival companies, submitting your CV, and gauging the career progression potential of your current role, you’ll be much better placed to spring back up if anything does go wrong.

Good things come to those who ask more than those who wait

The saying goes that good things come to those who wait, but while patience is by all means an admirable quality, simply waiting around and hoping that good things will come your way is a recipe for getting less than you otherwise could.

Many people in decent job roles are content to sit back, do their work, and await recognition and reward from their higher-ups. As with so many other things in life, though, those who make the effort to get themselves noticed are the ones who are most likely to see the rewards they’re after.

Good things come to those who know what they want, make their desires known, and go after them.

It kills the initiative to start-up side hustles

Many great entrepreneurial ventures begin as humble side projects by people who are motivated to try their hand at pursuing their dreams or becoming their own boss. These side projects can range from ambitious business ventures, kicked off by doing an online MBA program in finance, or they can be more rooted to your hobby interests.

Whatever the case, there are many great benefits of pursuing side projects, not the least of which being that they teach us new skills, open up new avenues in work and life, and feed the passions that drive people to be successful in business and other avenues of life.

If you don’t nurture greater interests and ambitions in your career, but instead settle for what you’ve got, the initiative which drives side projects and so much else, dies.

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.