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Growth Spurt: The Hidden Cost of Being "Low Maintenance" · The Growth Project

• 0:02
  You.
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  Welcome, everyone, to another growth spurt episode. My name is Doctor Gabby. Kavita. And today I'm going to be talking to you about the hidden cost of being low maintenance. You know, being low maintenance is usually said like a compliment, right? It is. Oh, well, he or she is easy going. They're flexible. They're no drama.
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  But what if that trait comes with a cost that we don't really notice until much later? Being low maintenance or easy going often means you can adapt quickly. You can work well with others. You can go with the flow, and that you don't need much from others to be successful. And that can really be a strength on teams.
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  But sometimes this easygoing, low maintenance personality is really just code for making yourself smaller
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  so things stay smooth.
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  There's a fine line between being easygoing and great to work with.
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  And then somebody who is a people pleaser and just keeping themselves small.
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  When you consistently downplay your needs, you send a quiet message to everyone around you and to yourself that your needs are optional and over time, that doesn't disappear.
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  It turns into resentment. It turns into exhaustion of always trying to adapt to others, or a vague sense that you're unseen,
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  even though no one was ever told what you needed.
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  I want you to think about what is one preference, one boundary, or one need that you have been minimizing in your professional setting and your personal life in order to to keep the peace or to be easy to be around, not demanding, just honest. Again, remember being easygoing and being low maintenance is not a problem. The problem arises when you don't speak up on your needs and you don't voice,
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  what you need from others.
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  So I challenge you to to start thinking about that and to push yourself to grow if needed to be a little bit more demanding and a little bit less low maintenance in certain areas, of your life, whether that be,
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  when you're working with others or, when you're trying to stand up for something that you believe in.
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  Again, this is all relating back to helping you pursue better and be better. So try to again be a little bit more firm. But again, remembering that being easygoing is not it's not a bad thing. It has its strengths just identifying where your needs lie and balancing that with that easygoing, helpful nature. Thank you all and I will see you again next time.