What are you tolerating?

Yesterday I gave a workshop for support staff of our local school district.  The workshop was:  “How to Have a Life and Still Be a Great Parent”.  One of the exercise we do is to list at least 20 things we’re tolerating right now.  Those are things from the very small to the very large such as a cupboard that needs cleaning out to a job you’re dissatisfied with.  I gave everyone time to make their list and then went around the room asking each person to share one toleration they felt they could eliminate in the next 48 hours.  People said things like:  “wash my car”, “fix my leaking tap”, “clean up my yard”.  We all agreed that attending to those small things we’re tolerating creates space and makes us feel lighter. 

Does eliminating small tolerations suddenly give you the life you want?  Of course not but we always start with baby steps.  Tolerations weigh us down.  They’re always there and we can feel burdened by them.  Think of the times you’ve attended to a task you’ve been putting off and how much better it makes you feel.  It often motivates us to move on to something else.  I know everytime I clean out the fridge I feel a sense of accomplishment and wonder why I don’t do it more often.  Attending to those small tasks is a mood enhancer.