Are You Tolerating Energy Vampires?
Yes, it’s unfortunate. However, energy vampires exist all around you, constantly draining you of the precious energy you need to be your best. These so-called energy vampires can show up in various forms: people, places, things, circumstances, experiences, etc. I call them tolerations.
Bottom line—tolerations hold you back. They stunt your growth. And your small business can only grow to the level you do!
Let’s clear your path by eliminating tolerations and discovering what’s possible.
A Simple 6-step System To Eliminate Tolerations
The following is a simple 6-step system for effectively dealing with those tolerations in your business and life.
1. Acknowledge There's A Problem
First and foremost, you need to come to terms with the fact that you currently harbor tolerations. We all do. And these tolerations can have a drastic impact on your ability to be your best.
2. Identify Tolerations
Take 10 minutes maximum and brainstorm as many people, places, things, circumstances, or experiences that just aren’t serving you. These are the stuff in your life that you are putting up with—they are tolerations.
Dig deep.
Think about all the areas of your life, such as Health & Appearance, Spiritual & Religious, Free Time, Career, Personal Development, Relationships, Community & Charity, and Financial & Wealth.
What are you currently tolerating that is cluttering up your mind and potentially holding you back from achieving your true potential?
Some examples of “tolerations” are:
- Not leveraging email marketing effectively enough to maintain proper visibility with our prospects and clients.
- Our office space does not suit our needs.
- Not showing any ROI for our social media efforts.
3. Evaluate Tolerations
This step aims to properly evaluate each toleration individually and decide what to do about it. Luckily, there are only three courses of action to choose from. You can either:
- “Accept” the toleration,
- “Mitigate” the toleration, or
- “Eliminate” the toleration.
There is no wrong choice here so long as whatever you choose is for the right reason, doesn’t hurt anyone (including you), and serves your greater good.
Accepting Tolerations
Accepting a toleration means that you will continue to allow it to continue unhampered.
Mitigating Tolerations
Mitigating a toleration means that you will take some strides to lessen its impact but not remove it altogether.
Eliminating Tolerations
Eliminating a toleration means that you will do just that—remove it altogether.
4. Prioritize Tolerations
Okay, so you have chosen a course of action for each toleration by now.
For each toleration you have chosen to accept, acknowledge your choices and move them over to the proverbial parking lot. No further action is needed right now. Just be clear that you have made a choice here.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
As for the remaining tolerations (those slated to either mitigate or eliminate), prioritize them based upon:
- Impact
- Ease
To accomplish this, take your list of tolerations and drop each of them into one of the four buckets of the Tolerations Matrix. For example, if the toleration is both High Impact and Easy To Solve, place it in Quadrant 1. If it is neither, place it in Quadrant 4.
Here, the intent is to handle tolerations in quadrant order and then numerical order—starting with Quadrant 1.
The 5-Minute Rule
There is one scenario where it’s okay and many times recommended to momentarily not follow the Tolerations Matrix. That is when a specific toleration can be fully and adequately handled in 5 minutes or less. No formal plan is needed. Just nail it and get it out of the way!
Otherwise, following the Tolerations Matrix is best.
5. Plan Your Work
Take the highest priority toleration and list out the steps needed to either mitigate or eliminate that toleration. Be sure to at least include for each step when that step is due to be completed and who will hold you accountable for completing it.
6. Work Your Plan
Diligently and methodically work your plan to ease the burden of your tolerations one by one!
In Summary...
In Closing...
Be clear that playing ostrich by hiding your head in the sand is not effective for solving your problems. Heck, maybe you will get lucky sometimes, and they’ll disappear. However, it’s not likely to be enough of a solution to help you level up your business.
Many of my clients have been using this simple 6-step system to eliminate tolerations—in their lives and businesses—for many years now and have benefited tremendously. I also, of course, have used it effectively for many years now.
So please adopt and adapt this system for you and your business and immediately eliminate tolerations more efficiently and effectively!
Grab a complimentary copy of our newly revised 2023 Strategic Planner—a great tool to help “Get Your Year in Gear” in 2023!
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
