A lot of people say “Don’t settle for second best.”  However, when we look at our lives, do we really have the best of everything?  When you look at your job situation, are you at the best job you could possibly have or are you just staying there because it’s too hard to change, you’re unmotivated, or you’re too comfortable?  Don’t let yourself get into a ‘could-have’ or should-have’ trap by accepting defeat when you can change the outlook for the positive; take the initiative to change what needs to be changed in your life.  We often hear people say, “Don’t settle for second best.” But if we really look at our lives, I bet a lot of what we have around us is second best.

Do we own the best television, car, and house, or the ones we could afford?

Of course things like televisions and dining room tables, even computers and cars, are one thing. We can settle for the second best in these material things.

But what about your job? Is this the best possible job for you, or is it just the job you have? Are you staying in a situation because you love it, it’s the best possible place for you now, or because change is too hard, or you’re just not motivated to change?

There are a lot of reasons we settle, and sometimes they’re good reasons, at least temporarily. Many of us need to remind ourselves that perfection is an unachievable goal. For instance, it’s perfectly acceptable to settle for less-than-perfect when venturing into a new business or offering a new product or service. If we wait until everything is just right, we may never get our ideas off the ground.

The problem comes when we forget that this settling was temporary, and that we had something big planned for the future. We get stuck in our settlement, and can’t find our way out.

Compromise is one thing, patience another, but settling into a pattern of resignation is something totally different. Don’t subject yourself to a ‘could-have’ and ‘should-have’ outlook on things by reluctantly accepting some situation that you can change or have an effect on.

Instead, accept where you’re at and take positive action to catalyze change.

Ask yourself: Is there anything I’m simply settling for right now? What can I do about it?

Thanks to How to Make a Million Dollars for including this in the Carnival of Future Millionaires.