It’s so easy to get comfortable with the way things are and slowly settle for what is, even if it’s less than what we really want. Now I don’t mean settle in terms of relaxing in a good way, like resting or allowing ourselves time to enjoy successes in life. I specifically mean settling for good enough when we know it really isn’t good enough.
Several years ago, we had a refrigerator go out on us. It took months before I finally replaced it. In the meantime, we bought a tiny refrigerator to have something at least temporarily while our main refrigerator was getting fixed. To fix it, I was told by the store that I had to call the manufacturer, which I did several times with much frustration at getting to someone with the technical knowledge to help. I had to make several phone calls before someone finally said it was a known defect and could be repaired. Then I had to make several more calls to find a local repair person and schedule time for them to come work on the fridge. They came out at least 5 times – I can’t make this up – and each time took a week or more to schedule. This was pre-COVID so I took time off of work to be home for the repair work. It was a frustrating and long process.
Long story short, they never got it fixed. My husband finally called a high-level store manager from the original store where we’d purchased it. He explained the situation (by this time it had been several months), and they made things right – refunded and allowed us to purchase a new fridge.
Why do I tell this story, and what does it have to do with settling or what’s next? Throughout that time, I’d look at the fridge and be angry about it, but since we had the little fridge it was enough – but definitely not what I wanted. Over time, I almost didn’t see the broken fridge until something like not having enough cold food storage space would trigger the reminder. I settled. For a while. This may seem like a simple example to illustrate how easy it is to just accept less than what you want, but I think we do it a lot.
Why is this a problem? Because we settle in all kinds of areas of our life. Not just with simple things like appliances, but with our relationships, our careers, our bodies, our finances, and more. I’m not saying everything has to be to our exact standards, but I bet you can identify an area in your life where you can relate to this.
On the flip side, it can be hard to identify other areas where you’ve quietly accepted how things are for so long, you barely notice that nudge that something’s not quite right until something triggers a reminder. The amount of time and mental energy we spend thinking about it can be so exhausting that we end up not doing anything. Even when you’re not aware you’re thinking about it.
When we’re wondering about what’s next for our lives, but not taking any action to figure it out and go after it, we’re settling. We may get angry or frustrated, or we may wait, hoping for something or somebody else around us to change, for something to happen to us, instead of taking the lead in our lives. I can help you turn this around.
Go to my site and schedule a free consult so I can help you stop settling and go for what’s next. And if you’d like to get periodic emails when I post a blog along with special updates from me, sign up below!