If It Ain’t Broke – Change It Anyway!

Whilst watching a behind-the-scenes YouTube video about the Bond movie Casino Royale, one of the producers said a line that really stuck with me:

“Many people say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix or change it. I say that’s a recipe for complacency — in everything we do in life.”

It hit me hard in more ways than one.
Why? Because it neatly exposes one of our most dangerous habits: Staying comfortable.

The Comfortable Trap

We humans are good at finding ruts and calling them routines.

• Window cleaners can use the same squeegee stroke for twenty years.
• Radio presenters can lean on the same patter.
• Gardeners can water the same way even though the climate shifts under their boots.
• And marriages too can settle into patterns, where couples lean on each other without truly supporting one another.

Yes, complacency creeps in quietly. In life, that shows up as boredom, regret, or the nagging suspicion you’ve been drifting instead of steering.

The Value of Change

Take Bond as an example. By 2006, the franchise could’ve kept the tuxedos, gadgets, and winks. “It ain’t broke,” fans said. But the producers decided to rebuild it from the ground up — grittier, rawer, stripped of gadget-clutter. Risky? Absolutely. But it gave us Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale, and suddenly Bond felt alive again.

The lesson? Even successful formulas need refreshing. Businesses need new offers. Relationships need fresh conversations. Personal lives need new goals. Waiting until something breaks is like waiting until the brakes fail before servicing the car.

Embracing New Directions

For me, this has meant stepping away from things I once loved but that no longer suit my life.

• No longer being a radio presenter and not exhibiting as an artist are part of this.
• Photography, video editing, and writing will always be my passions, but I’m now trying new hobbies.
• I want to learn to play guitar—even if I’m not very good at it, I want to try.
• I’m also working on improving my cooking skills, especially in Indonesian and Asian cuisines, focusing on Vietnamese and Chinese dishes.

Change can feel uncomfortable, but it also brings energy. By opening myself up to new opportunities, I’m pushing against complacency and making room for growth, creativity, and joy. I see my future heading this way, and it excites me.

Complacency feels safe, but curiosity keeps us alive—so don’t wait for life to break before you start changing it.