Courageous Shifts

Courageous Shifts:  Steering to a Better Place

By Jeanine Izzo

“But, what about them?  They don’t follow through on their promises.  What is it going to take to make them change?”  This was part of a conversation with a participant, ‘Julie’, of a recent talk I gave where I encourage individuals to take more ownership toward their degree of fulfillment.  Then, I had a similar conversation at a social event with someone else who was holding onto the ways of the past.

Both of these people were professionals dedicated to their careers and employers.  Clearly, they cared about the quality of their performance.  If you can relate to feeling like you wish others would step up and follow through, you are not alone.  I’ve certainly been there.  This is how I know it can be excruciatingly difficult to wrap your head around your actions being the solution to alleviating your stress.  I mean, what you are asking for or expecting of the other party seems so easy and reasonable, right?  But, when they don’t come through time and time again, who is the one that suffers?  You!

There is more than one way to make your situation better and they all take courage.  Understandably, courage can seem like a daunting concept, especially when you are feeling downtrodden, yet it begins with one small step.  This first courageous step is the desire to release the heavy, frustrating, victim, blame, helpless energy from your shoulders.  The desire  has to be great enough that you are willing to take action even when you believe someone else should be taking action instead of you.

Essentially, this equates to you valuing your strengths, ideas and contributions even when you don’t feel valued by others.  As the process unfolds, you begin to see other desires or choices that you could make to better your situation.  When you have reached the point where you can see and evaluate other options, you might be surprised by a renewed sense of possibility.  This was the case with Julie.  Initially, she struggled with the idea that her taking more ownership could improve her situation, yet she was willing to consider the concept.  Within two weeks of talking to Julie, she had published an article, created a development plan for herself and generated a list of potential activities she had been stuffing down inside her for a long, long time.  The first small step along with related action created momentum for Julie.

In some situations, choosing to accept your current situation can help you release some of the weight, usually in the form of hurt, anger or frustration, that is pulling you down.  There can be circumstances inside or outside of the company that make acceptance a solid choice for the time being.  Acceptance is a step that can help you reduce the wear and tear of the fight (within and outside of yourself).  Yes, even choosing to release your negative response to a situation can open you up to other possibilities while increasing your physical and intellectual capacity.

It’s common to feel like you don’t have control over a situation, yet there are always ways you can shift your experience.

Forward moving tips:

1. Remember that you are always at choice, even if you don’t like the choices.  Acceptance is a choice.
2. Tap into your desire to improve your situation.
3. Look for one or two small ways to shift the weight that are within your control.
4. Begin taking action.
5. As the weight lifts, be on the look out for even more possibilities.

Remember, even if you’re in a situation where the other person is not holding up their end of the deal, it is in your best interest to take some action that works for you.  That is the essence of self-leadership.  You can’t control how other people think, feel and act, however you can definitely impact how you steer through various situations.

For assistance with helping you and your team develop productive courage…Contact Viage Partners today.

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