Folks, I am aware that I have missed the past two Thursdays... I'm so sorry! Things have been super hectic and I have some new things on my plate (hopefully more about that later). I also got my days mixed up last week and didn't even realize it was Thursday until 11:30 that night!
Today's question is a tough one:
What is the difference between settling for things, and accepting the way things are?
Looking back over life, I feel like maybe I have settled for some things when I could have asked for better, and that I have accepted some things that I should have rejected. I think the key word here is change. Can I change this situation?
When we "settle" for something, we are saying, "I know this situation could be better, but I'm too lazy/afraid/unconfident to change it, so I'm just going to take it the way it is." To put a finer point on it, it's apathy. We don't care enough to put our foot down, so we deal with it. Which can be fine in certain settings, but should never be tolerated in relationships or moral choices that we have control over. Don't settle for less... Keep the standard as high as you want it to be, and stick to it.
On the other hand, accepting things generally means we don't have a choice. There is something out of our control, and we can either take it or leave it, but if we accept it, we have to realize it is what it is. And once we realize those boundaries, we can begin to work with them and even learn to appreciate them, or how to at least tolerate them. When you accept something, it generally means that you realize the benefits of the bigger picture outweigh the limitations.
What things in life have you learned to accept, and what things are you just settling for that you could change?
I've thought long and hard about this one for well nigh a week and can't think of a single time I've settled for anything! Apparently I always change what I can. Good question, though.
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