Acceptance in Work and Life
Posted on November 11, 2011 by Mark Strong, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Finding acceptance in workplace and in your personal life.
As we near the end of the year, many of us begin to take stock of what we have accomplished. A major part of my role as a life, career, and executive coach is to help you reconcile your vision of where you had hoped to be at this stage in your life, with where you actually are. We then try to find ways to work on moving from where you are, to where you want to be.
But at the same time that life coaching is about changing and getting to the next level of your vision, it’s also about accepting certain things about where you are today. Change is about patience and timing, not instant results. Growth involves knowing when to stay put, as well as when to reach out.
If you are a regular reader of my blogs, you have probably noticed that I like to point out patterns and commonalities that I notice among many of my clients. It is my hope that by doing so, those who might think they are alone in experiencing something will realize that others share their feelings. When it comes to accepting things we don’t like, most of us are guilty of resisting rather than going gracefully.
Here are some thoughts I’ve had recently about acceptance, which might apply to situations that you’re going through at the office or at home:
Don’t rush it. One of the biggest reasons for lack of acceptance about where we are is that we’re pushing the time table too quickly. We may look out at others who are “further ahead” than we are, not recognizing that they got there from starting down the path sooner than us. If you’re new to an industry, you can’t expect to be a thought leader in it instantly, no matter how many “experts” you see blogging about it.
Don’t over-expect. Another gremlin behind lack of acceptance is feeling like you did not get done as much as you wanted to in a given amount of time. I have noticed many clients (and I sometimes do this too) feel frustrated at the end of the day because they think they did not accomplish enough. If you find yourself falling into this trap, remind yourself that there will always be more to do. We will never just check the last item off of our to-do list and be caught up for good! And we wouldn’t really want to—without new challenges to strive for, we would stagnate.
Look around. Sometimes you may push and push to reach a certain result, only to find that your path is blocked. At such times, it can be wise to remember the saying, “When in hole, stop digging.” Perhaps the timing isn’t right for a change. Maybe you would be better off trying a different direction. Whatever the reason, there may be something that you still need to learn or accomplish where you are now before you can move forward. Find out what your current situation is telling you.
Be where you are. Whether it comes to work or family life, we all must go through certain stages at different times. It can be tough to be in a later stage of your career and your life looking out at those who are fresh and just starting. At the same time, green newbies may wish they were more senior, with the authority and influence that their older colleagues enjoy. Acceptance is about trying to see the best elements about where you are now, and to get what you can out of your current situation.
