It Is What it Is

Today I am once again having to remind myself of the importance of accepting what is. I am pushy (NOOOOO! you're saying) and I tend to want to make things happen. And often there are so many things out of my control that I cannot make the things happen that I want to happen.

Over two years ago I posted this quote and it is time for me to remind myself of it once again.

The Actual and the Ideal

There are two things: the actual and the ideal.
To be mature is to see the ideal and live with the actual.
To fail is to accept the actual and reject the ideal;
and to accept only that which is ideal and refuse the actual is to be immature.
Do not criticise the actual because you have seen the ideal;
do not reject the ideal because you see the actual.
Maturity is to live with the actual but hold to the ideal.

There are lots of things in my personal and professional life where I have to find this balance. And I often do not succeed.

There is one more sentence though, that i think needs to be added to the quote for me. And that is that sometimes you have to let go of the ideal - or at least reframe it. Because some things just are what they are and that is what they have to be. They may never be ideal -- they may never even get close -- but they are what they are.

So today I am telling myself again, "it is what it is" and I can either live within what is or drive myself crazy.

I think I'll just live with it. It is what it is. And that is probably the better alternative than going crazy.