Years ago, I met Thomas J Leonard, the Founder of Coach University.
He introduced the concept of “Tolerations” – those things that annoy you, drain your energy, and hold you back yet can be eliminated from your life.
Tolerations show up in most areas – work, home, school, relationships, equipment, cars and your habits.
Here are some Common Tolerations:
- Office – Piles of papers on your desk, sticky notes all over, computer repairs
- Home – loose door knob, leaky faucet, slow drain, squeaky door, needing paint
- People – those who drain our energy, relationships that aren’t working
- Your habits – not dealing with overwhelm, not exercising, not eating healthy
- Work – not knowing what is expected, not knowing how to deal with change, poor communication
Dealing with Tolerations:
Tolerations are all about energy. Eliminating tolerations will give you more energy for what is important to you. You’ll be happier, more confident and won’t waste time stepping around things.
A great way to deal with tolerations is to write a list. Look around and record what things are draining you. Once you have your list, rank the items – which ones can you change or eliminate right away? This will give you momentum to tackle the ones that are more complex. Intentionally decide which ones you will put on hold. It is OK to “procrastinate with a purpose” but give yourself a timeline.
What tolerations will you eliminate?
For more resources, see the Library topic Personal and Professional Coaching.
Chuck Appleby of Appleby & Associates is a leadership and organization development consultant with over 30 years of management, consulting, and coaching experience. 
Carter McNamara of Authenticity Consulting, LLC, has decades of experience providing group coaching and Action Learning around the world.
Pam Solberg-Tapper is a highly experienced Professional Certified Coach. Her company, Coach for Success, designs, implements and coaches in a variety of leadership and executive programs.