It hurts for me to talk to people who seem stuck in quicksand. They repeat the same stories of being wronged by others and live with the belief that they are powerless to change things.
At work, these people wear their hurt on their sleeve yet don’t speak to their manager about the issue. They wonder why that poor soul doesn’t understand what they did to them. They seek out “co-conspirators” in the belief that their boss is wrong and they are right. They act like they are stuck in quick sand when, unlike quicksand, they have the ability to extricate themselves.
Often, getting out of “metaphorical quicksand” just requires taking a few steps and, voila! The problem is gone.
Not long ago, my iPhone died. Squiggly lines on the upper part of the screen. I could not unlock the phone. For a moment, I felt frustrated. After all, so much of my life was stored in that phone. I couldn’t schedule appointments with coaching clients easily by phone nor message people away from my desk.
After discovering the phone could be repaired but would need to be sent out and would cost hundred $150 to fix my old iPhone, I decided to buy a new one. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember my password to iTunes and was stored in my phone. Requesting it from Apple required that I wait 24 hours.
A friend of my wife’s asked if I was upset. I answered, “No. The problem will be solved soon enough. Being inpatient won’t change anything in this case. I can live for 24 hours without all my data.”
Sometimes taking action is the right thing to do. Sometimes, the right answer is acceptance. I am confident you will recognize which way to pursue your “challenge” if you face one.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2019
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a career and leadership coach who worked as a recruiter for more than 40 years. He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with more than 1200 episodes and his newest show, “No BS Coaching Advice” and is a member of The Forbes Coaches Council.
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