a few weeks ago, i had coffee with an ex-colleague of my husband’s, chris obst, who now has a successful practice as a management consultant and coach. we had a wonderful conversation; a busy man, he was still generous with his time, and truly interested in what i had to say.
chris has a monthly newsletter, wisdom at work, and i enjoy reading it (in fact, that’s how come i had coffee with him in the first place; these newsletters work, people!) this month he has an interesting question:
what have you been tolerating that you won’t put up with this year?
a question about what we tolerate is always fascinating. it’s about moving from surviving to thriving. for example, for a woman who lives in a highly abusive relationship, survival is paramount. dysfunctional family dynamics with her siblings, mediocre health or a lousy employer are a joke compared to that. but a year or so after she’s gotten rid of the abuser, she’s ready to move past survival, she’s ready to thrive: how much of her brother’s whining, her constant headaches and the lack of benefits at work is she willing to put up with? and, come to think of it, why should she?
with the exception of the most exalted, most of us have little (or big!) pockets in our lives where we still haven’t moved from survival to thriving.
let’s ask this question, too, then. there’s a subtle but powerful difference between saying, “geez, i really should start eating more organic food” and “i just won’t put my body through digesting all these pesticides anymore!”
what have you been tolerating that you won’t put up with this year?
look at your
- health
- health care
- mental health
- fitness
- weight
- nutrition
- wellness
- time management
- self-talk (now THERE’s something we could all improve on)
- relationships (both how they relate to you and how you relate to them)
- work
- school
- intimates
- extended family
- friends
- pets
- local politics
- environment
- other things …?
let us know here in the comments!