What Does Acceptance Have to Do with Saving My Career?

The Oxford Dictionary definition of acceptance is “willingness to tolerate a difficult or unpleasant situation.” When it comes to previous mistakes, acceptance is the best we can strive for. Acceptance means we stop railing against what we think should not be. It is about acknowledging what is, even when undesirable.

At one time or another, we’ve all done or said things that we wish we hadn’t. This is especially true for those of us who’ve abused drugs and alcohol — mostly because we do things under the influence that we would never do if we were in our right minds.

You have probably beaten yourself up mentally for things you’ve done that put you in the position you’re in: wondering how — and if — you can save your career. You may even think that lingering in this place and dwelling on what has happened is what you deserve.

But let me share one of my favorite sayings with you: “Abandon all hope of improving your past.”

 Words cannot be unsaid; deeds cannot be undone; promises cannot be unbroken. All we can do is resolve not to make the same errors again.

It sounds simple, but it can be tough to do. Many of us spend time focused on what we did and how we could have done it differently, using up time and energy better spent thinking about what to do next. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t value in trying to learn something from our mistakes. But dwelling on a past that you can’t change, regardless of how much you want it to, runs counter to your ability to move ahead and handle your business.

As quickly as you can, move to a place of acceptance about what has happened, accept that you can’t change it, and acknowledge that you alone have the power to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

After returning from rehab and considering my return to work, I got to a place of acceptance with family and friends’ help. They helped remind me that I had been successful in the past and while my current circumstances were less-than-ideal, that I should continue to focus on what I could create with my future rather than what I had wrecked in my past. Their help was the key to my ability to apply my energy to whatever the next part of my journey would be.

You control and influence many things in your life — but the past isn’t one of them. What you can control regarding the past is how much power you allow it to have on you today and moving forward.

Acceptance is key to your ability to move forward and move on. Acceptance will allow you to focus your energies on the task at hand: rescuing your career.