Acceptance Is Liberating
I came across the below tweet last week and after thinking about it on and off, it's made me realize something.
We all strive so hard to be better—to iterate, to improve, to fail wisely and learn from our mistakes—that we never allow ourselves to just be. Sometimes there's a reason things aren't ideal, and if it's intentional and/or what has to be for you to get to a better place, then that's okay and just accept it.
For example, I keep trying to get more sleep. I know how important it is, and should I ever forget, all the articles out there on health—and even leadership!—will remind me. Yes, I'm a better version of myself when fully rested, but that has not happened since before I became a mom. Maybe it's time I stop wasting limited mental bandwidth on what obviously will not change.
We've all realized that multitasking is bad, that sometimes limiting what choices we make on a daily basis is good (the perfect example of this: Obama having a standard wardrobe so not to have to choose). But we have not taken that to the next natural conclusion: spending mental energy on what cannot be changed is bad also.
Sometimes just getting by and/or having it imperfect is an achievement in itself or all that you can hope for. I'd compare it to an MVP (minimum viable product), but then you'd have to constantly be looking for feedback and to iterate. Instead, if you really are doing your best and spending your time on the next most important thing, then stop dwelling on it and move on.
Whether it's personal choices and/or professional ones, stop the mental fretting. Whether you're not as refreshed and in shape as you'd like, or your career is not progressing as you'd like, or your business is progressing more slowly or had an unanticipated hurdle, it's happened. Is it worth wasting energy on what you can't change rather than focusing on what you can?
So what mental hangup will you now let go of?
Karina is VP of Operations and HR at 24/7 Teach.
Originally posted on Business Common Sense blog.