"It Is What It Is" (Isn't Complacent)

These days I find a strange comfort in the phrase "It is what it is."   I challenge myself - because it can be interpreted as too passive - or even worse, not caring.   And honestly, this is the conclusion I've arrived at. . ."It is what it is" is a perfectly good statement - provided that there is a commitment to action and learning that follows it.

Here's what I like about "It is what it is."  It is foundational - it acknowledges that which is true.  More important, however, it acknowledges that which is done.  All too often if something goes wrong we end up spending an inordinate amount of energy trying to go back in time to change the outcome.  Or we spend countless hours in the blame game.

Both of these actions are a waste of time. . .and crazy making.

Instead of going back in time to change the outcome. . .let's move forward to change the future.

Instead. . .if things didn't turn out the way we wanted. . .let's use it as a time of reflection.   Did things really turn out wrong. . .or just not the way we had planned?    Often if we can back off our preconceptions - we find that even though things didn't go as planned - they turned out just fine. . .or perhaps even better than plan.

Instead. . .if things didn't turn out the way we wanted. . .what can we learn from this?   What is our ownership?     How can we better use that which is available to us?   What resources can we possibly recruit?

Instead. . .if things didn't turn out the way we wanted. . .what can we do to change the game going  forward.  If the chess piece didn't end up the way we expected. . .how are we going to change our next actions to secure a greater success?

Here is the comfort I find in "it is what it is."    It is not  a stumbling block, instead it is the starting block that enables us to begin the race forward.

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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.