There’s a common piece of wisdom in business and life: you get what you intentionally pursue.
Want success? Chase it. Want growth? Seek it. Want excellence? Understand what it is and get after it.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth I’ve discovered: we actually get more from what we tolerate than what we deliberately pursue.
Let’s think about that for a moment!
We Get What We Tolerate
While we might occasionally muster the energy to chase our dreams or pursue our goals, most of our life is spent responding to whatever lands on our doorstep. We accept mediocre partnerships because finding better ones takes effort. We tolerate underperforming employees because having difficult conversations is uncomfortable. We settle for inadequate systems because changing them seems overwhelming.
Overshadowing The Good Stuff
And day by day what we tolerate often ends up shaping our reality more powerfully than our occasional bursts of intentional action. It’s a shame, when intentionality gets such great results.
The Passive Acceptance Gap
This passive acceptance creates a gap between who we are and who we could be.
Instead of living authentically, we find ourselves:
- Reacting to circumstances rather than creating them
- Accepting situations rather than changing them
- Surviving rather than thriving
- Drifting rather than directing
Raising Our Standards – Intentionally Saying “No”
The solution isn’t just about setting bigger goals or making better plans.
It’s about raising our standards for what we’ll accept in our daily lives. It’s about being as intentional with what we say “no” to as what we say “yes” to.
Living True Authenticity
True authenticity emerges from pursuing what we want, while refusing to tolerate what doesn’t serve us or our businesses well.
It’s in those moments of saying “this isn’t good enough” that we begin to shape a life that truly reflects our values and aspirations.
Action Step
What are you tolerating today that’s keeping you from your authentic self?
- Make a list
- What conversations do you need to have?
- What things do you need to say no to but are too afraid?
You can have these conversations and more inside of The Forged Mentor Community.