What DYNAMIC ACCEPTANCE is & Why you must practice it in your Career!

We all know that change is constant… an ever-present background to the tapestry of life. When so little is in one’s control, how does one stay on top and lead the game?

For me it goes back to the concept of ‘Dynamic Acceptance’.

So you ask, what is dynamic acceptance? This simple phrase is one of the fundamental differences between career superstars and everyone else…

Dynamic Acceptance is a concept that rests on 3 pillars, and they are:

1. Accept the unchangeable 2. Change the changeable 3. Remove yourself from the unacceptable

There are times when you will be faced with situations that will not change no matter how hard you try. It is like being asked to lift a weight several times outside the limit of your capacity… knowing when to quit is not cowardice, it is not running away from the difficulty – it is being smart… and only you can decide when you are in such a situation where knowing when to quit is your best option. In such situations realizing that we must accept that the issues at hand won’t change is the intelligent option.

But as intelligent human beings, we are raised and told that we must persevere… we must fight in the face of hardship. And to arrive at the conclusion that a situation will or won’t give, is a judgement one can only make having exhausted one’s perseverance. Many a times with sincere effort we can impact the outcomes of a situation. If the load you are being asked to lift requires a stretch but can be lifted, then by all means don’t give up… strive and change the situation, this is what the stories of heroes are made of…

But please also realize that if a situation won’t budge despite 100% effort on your part, then you must not compromise with your own potential and your own life. We have one life to live and our foremost duty is to live it being of service to humanity. Some serve as engineers, others as doctors, and yet others as artists or managers… if the situation is compromising your ability to serve at your full potential then you must remove yourself from that circumstance. Like Steve Jobs said “If you haven’t found it, keep looking”.

This is the concept of dynamic acceptance, and career superstars understand it well. Give your best to each and everything that you do but where these fine lines exist in each and every situation only you can determine.