Tolerations have been called energy vampires, the gunk of life, holes in your personal success cup, and static playing in the background of your life.
All those descriptions are true.
But I think the best definition is simply: Tolerations are all the things you are reluctantly putting up with.
Can you relate?
Because you’re probably tolerating—or reluctantly putting up with—more than you think. In fact, most women are tolerating hundreds of things every single day.
And if you’re tolerating hundreds of things a day, is it any wonder you feel stressed, overwhelmed, frustrated, distracted, irritable—in short, that you’re NOT living your best life?
But how do you know if something in your life IS a toleration? Here’s an easy way to find out: Simply ask yourself these 4 questions.
If you answer yes to any one of these questions about a situation in your life, it’s a toleration. That’s right, even a single yes means you’ve got a toleration on hand.
- Is it causing friction? Meaning: Is it getting in the way of forward motion? Is there resistance, conflict? Friction between the way something is and the way you want it to be. This is the opposite of harmony.
- Is it causing you frustration? Are you irritated? Are you annoyed? If something is causing you to feel exasperated, dissatisfied, aggravated—those are signs you’re dealing with a toleration.
- Is it draining your energy? This can be tricky at first. You may be so used to energy-draining situations in your life that you don’t even notice them anymore. Every person, situation, circumstance is either energy giving or energy draining. Either/Or. Nothing is neutral.
- Is it taking up space in your mind? Meaning: Is it nagging at you? Maybe it keeps you up at night. Or keeps popping in your mind during the day. Do you find yourself ruminating on it? If so, then it’s taking up space in your mind and it is a toleration.
Energy is the real currency in life and tolerations are the greatest energy leak of all.
So keep these 4 questions handy. Practice using this lens so you can start to readily recognize tolerations.
Isn’t it time to reclaim your energy and stop putting up with so much?
