Acceptance, as a topic and as an experience, is always present in my work: how to comfortably accept a sudden job loss, how to accept a necessary career transition, how to acknowledge and accept that we are experiencing unmanageable stress or burnout, how to accept that we feel stuck and cannot decide which career path to pursue.
How can we comfortably “hold,” tolerate, and ACCEPT the uncertainties we can experience in our lives, our work, and our careers, and at the same time move forward?
Acceptance opens the door to possibility
Accepting the changes and challenges that we encounter in life does not mean resignation to a particular situation, much less a complete loss of control. Are changes, challenges, and losses difficult? Absolutely. Are there often uncomfortable adjustments? Yes indeed. Are there times we do not like the changes in our lives? Of course.
Practicing acceptance – and it does take practice – gives us the “internal” space to acknowledge the range of feelings we may be experiencing.
Acceptance means taking our feelings seriously and recognizing the valuable information and insights they give us on how we are experiencing our lives.
Acceptance helps to reduce the energy we may be expending to minimize, deny, judge and/or fight against what we are currently experiencing.
Acceptance helps us to pull back from the stress and anxiety of “what if” statements: “What if” I never get hired? “What if” I go a year without work? “What if” I slip back into burnout when I return to work? “What if” I hate the career decision I make?
Acceptance allows us to re-gain much needed perspective. It gives us the space to assess, realistically, our current situation.
Acceptance creates the space that fosters resilience, attitudinal and emotional flexibility, and compassion towards our selves and others.
Acceptance enables us to be more present in our lives and more connected to our experiences. Acceptance helps us to regain personal agency, it helps us to be active, intentional, and decisive in creating and implementing relevant steps forward.
For reflection
What kinds of feelings am I experiencing?
Can I comfortably “hold” the different feelings I have?
What is the dominant narrative in my life right now? How does it make me feel?
What questions are most prominent for me right now?
What is a challenge for me right now? Where am I stuck?
What changes or adjustments can I comfortably make in my life right now?
What is available to me? What do I have access to?
What kind of resources and support do I have around me?
What kind of information do I need to gather?
What is possible in this moment, during this day?
These are the conversations at Canvas Career Counselling. For more information or to book a consultation call please contact hello@mycareercanvas.co
