We’re in the middle of a series on corporate buzzwords. While this one isn’t necessarily a “corporate buzzword,” it’s certainly a phrase we hear frequently these days. I look at it as words of surrender. For example:
Jack Dawson gripping the door in the freezing water in the blockbuster Titanic.
“It’s OK Rose, it is what it is.”
Emperor Hirohito at the surrender ceremony onboard the USS Missouri in 1945.
“Honorable General MacArthur-San, it is what it is.”
Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Courthouse:
“Well General Grant, it is what it is.”
It is what it is works well when you have no hope or opportunities left. You’ve exhausted all options. All that’s left is the inevitable. It’s a fatalistic statement that absolves you of all ownership. You’re now just a victim. And while all those above examples are fake, it is what it is would be very appropriate.
But I hear that phrase quite a bit these days.
- Can’t get that promotion? It is what it is.
- Didn’t get approved for that loan? It is what it is.
- Turned down for a date? It is what it is.
But in each of those examples, you could look deeper into WHY you didn’t get what you want. It’s possible there are reasons why you weren’t promoted. Did you have the experience or certifications required? If not, then quit your whining and get the experience. Or the certifications.
Didn’t get the loan? Take a look at your credit report. You got yourself in that mess, now put together a plan to get yourself out of it. When my wife worked as a financial advisor, she helped a client go from 30K in debt and no savings to no debt and 30K in savings. It took 18 months, a lot of discipline, sacrifice, and hard work, but they did it!
Turned down for a date? Don’t become an obsessive stalker. Instead, take a good look at YOU. Are you bringing your best self to your relationships? Would YOU date you? If not, then work on YOU.
If you believe in luck, then you’ll also take failure as part of karma too. If all good and bad things come from things we have no control over, then cross your fingers and hope for the best.
But if you believe you have some control over your destiny, then that’s far better than luck and way better than waiting for karma.
This week, do an honest assessment on YOU and everything YOU have. Your experience, talent, accomplishments, personality, and gifts. Everyone has these by the way. If you say you don’t, you’re just not looking. I think you’ll realize things aren’t as fatalistic as you think. And the good news is that YOU have the control to repackage, retool, reeducate, and reload for success.
It is what it is. Until it isn’t. And this is the best news of all.