The "Giving Up Points"

December 10, 2017

I first came across the Old Mexican word "Acomodador" in Paulo Coelho's book, The Zahir. There is always an event in our lives that is responsible for us failing to progress; a trauma, a particularly bitter defeat, a disappointment in love, even a victory that we did not quite understand, can make cowards of us and prevent us from moving on. "The Accomodator" is that giving up point.

This happens to all of us whether we're trying to learn a new instrument, language or sport, or whether we're pursuing a dream and lose our path along the way. There's always a time when our progress starts slowing down and a point that discourages us from continuing what we started. Think of how many projects or tasks you've started and failed to complete. How many sports you started learning and stopped? Obviously the ability to get on the Green Platform and power through the Acomodadors, the "giving-up points" in our lives make the difference between those who achieve their goals and those who don't.

On the Green Platform we have positive stories. On the Red Platform we have negative stories riddled with a myriad of our personal Acomodadors. During the day our inner voice is telling us stories, positive or negative. Facts have no meaning. Events have no meaning. A situation has no meaning. To give an event meaning we must put an interpretation on it. In other words, we must make up a story about it, positive or negative. By a "story" I mean those stories that we create and tell ourselves and others that form the only reality we will ever know in this life. It's your choice whether you are a passive reactive captive of your "poor me" negative Acomodador ridden stories that make you a victim on the Red Platform, or a proactive captain of your positive Acomodador-bursting uplifting stories that make you a victor on the Green Platform.