When the circumstances suck

If you’ve been on the planet for long enough, you’ve encountered adversity. It’s part of life. Sometimes the circumstances you face are grinding and unpalatable. I’ve been working with a few people and organisations facing this sort of adversity over the last few years, and have been facing my own challenges in parallel. Sometimes the deck is definitely stacked against you - so what do you do?

There’s a useful paradox - Two seemingly opposed mindsets held in parallel. On the one hand, accept the reality that you are facing. On the other, fight like hell to change it. So simple to say. Simple to understand. Bloody hard in practice. Personally, the acceptance part is very challenging. It feels like giving up. It feels like concession. It doesn’t feel fair. 

In reality, getting to acceptance takes some time. And the time varies depending on the people and the circumstance. Often it’s not linear. Some days acceptance comes more easily than others.

So what does acceptance achieve? It lets us see the circumstances for what they truly are. It allows us to make calmer, more reasoned decisions. And, it helps us focus the fight on the parts that we can control or influence. It doesn’t always feel palatable, but it's more effective than beating yourself against an unmovable wall. The faster you can find acceptance the better.

What do you need to accept, without giving up the fight?