Tolerate No More

Most of us have had this experience - we go to a movie, are absolutely baffled and appalled by how bad it is, yet continue watching it until it's over. I know, it's because we didn't want to judge the film prematurely - even though more than halfway through it was still jaw-droppingly awful, we were still hoping to be surprised, right? We just wanted some validation, no matter how small, that the movie wasn't a complete waste of our money and time, but most of the time, we're disappointed.

It's not too different with the other aspects of our lives; as a person, a father, a wife, a son, a sister, a partner, a colleague or neighbour, what are you putting up with? What kinds of stress are you allowing yourself to take on a regular basis even though you could just stand up and walk away?

Now I'm not knocking the power of perseverance; sticking with a worthy task that's showing improvement, no matter how slow, is admirable. What I'm talking about is putting up with something or someone that's taking a toll on your happiness and success while showing no sign of positive impact.

What are the bad movies in your life that you're not standing up and leaving?

Most of us adopt a passive approach to life - something we don't agree with happens again and again and, ah? we let it pass, we close one eye. I don't mean that we should be intolerant of others; I'm referring to the more personal aspects of our lives; matters that affect us directly - things like our jobs and our relationships, the abuse or unjust treatment that we take day after day because we think that we should accept the results of certain choices we've made.

But just because we've made this choice, does that mean we should accept how it's turned out? Just because we've invested money or time or love, does that mean we have to stick with it regardless of how unhappy it's making us?

Sure, most of us may complain about it, throw the odd tantrum or two, but very few will actually get up and insist on change or leave. Only you will know when the abuse has to stop. Only you will know when a situation has reached a point where the bad feelings will not go away unless something or someone changes or leaves. The sad fact is that most people do nothing, and the bad feelings continue to plague their lives.

When we're in the midst of an irredeemable film, there's often nothing we can do except walk out of the cinema. But very often, when it comes to other issues in our lives - our jobs, our relatives, our friends, or the prejudice we face - we can demand that things change to reflect our rights. We can at the very least make ourselves heard.

Decide for yourself when you're not tolerating it anymore.