The art of compromising 

We all compromise. On small things, sometimes on big issues. It can be on work, in our readerships and with ourselves. Some compromises can be easy to make, some need perhaps negotiation and others can hurt to do. I have done them all. In all situations.  

When you compromise, it does mean that you are not getting fully what you desired. How easy it is for you to make the compromise can depend on how important your wish is to you, who you are making the compromise with or how strongly you believe in what you were asking for. Many factors play a role in compromising.  

For me, the art of compromising, is not in the compromising. It is in the time after the compromise. Because no matter if it was easy or hard to make, you were giving up on something you wanted in that moment. And it is so easy to keep the focus on what you did not get. I invite you to think about it this way: In the art of compromising, shift your focus to what you gained. 

You did make the compromise for a reason. What was that reason? What did it give you? So, instead of focusing on what you did not get, focus on the gains. That is the art of compromising. 

Is it easy to shift the focus? Not always. But I do promise you that if you manage, you will be happy with those compromises you are making.  

And if even after finding your reasons and your gains, you are still not happy with the compromise you are going to make, then perhaps that compromise is too big an ask or goes against your values. And then it is perhaps time to say no to that compromise. Because the art of compromising is also about knowing your limits. 

And a picture of me, coaching a coachee in Spain. With the cat, because when I travel, I bring my cat and that does require compromise sometimes.

2 comments

  1. This is the right website for anybody who wants to find out about this topic. You understand a whole lot its almost tough to argue with you (not that I personally would want toÖHaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a topic which has been written about for years. Excellent stuff, just excellent!

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