They are not the same thing.
Both have to do with acceptance, but in completely different ways.
Being content is accepting that what’s here is enough *and* taking a step forward along the hiking trail towards growth.
Being complacent is accepting that what’s here is enough *and* avoiding the hiking trail altogether to sit on the couch and watch TV.
It’s completely possible to be content *and* travel forward on a journey. Not because what’s here isn’t enough—but, because traveling forward on a journey is precisely how growth happens.
When you let content turn into complacency, you start to regress. Your awareness fades. Your comfort zone collapses in around you and suffocates your brain.
And eventually, because of a lack of growth, what’s “enough” will start to turn gray, dull, lackluster, unappealing, and unfulfilling.
And what will be left is not a lack of “enough,” but a lack of awareness that allows you to truly appreciate all that you have.
It’s precisely the challenge associated with growth that gives you the contrast needed to appreciate the enough.
And don’t take my word for it.
Take yourself through a really hard workout—one that’s harder than normal. Make it so that you’re truly exhausted by the end of it. And then take a sip of water.
It’s the same sip of water you always take—but, I guarantee, the sip after that killer workout will taste a helluva lot better than the other.
P.s. Today, I hosted a LIVE talk on Creating (not waiting for) Happiness and it was amazing. Listen to the playback here (~2 hours long & worth every minute).