Our entire lives we’ve heard; if you can’t agree, you must compromise. But is it really the best solution? I have found that compromising not only leads to mediocrity, but a lowering of one’s standards.

So, what does it mean to compromise? The definition is said to be an understanding that is reached by each party making concessions. As a culture, we live out this definition by giving up some portion of what we want so another can have some portion of what they want.

Is this really an optimal solution?

What if I told you that not compromising can actually elevate your situation?

At Thrive, we call it “staying with it”. You “stay with it” until everyone not only gets what they want but gets something greater than any one person brings to the table. This aligns with the Gestalt principle in that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

In this interaction, clarity and new realizations are gained. It’s a process of elevating everyone’s desires instead of compromising them to the point where we’re settling for something less than or lowering our standards. We’re staying with it so that whatever it is we’re trying to achieve becomes something more amazing than what we started out with. As we discuss the essence (not the specific outcome) of what each of us is trying to experience, redefining and clarifying along the way, our thoughts expand and our ideas start taking on a new life. When this is done, it is a creative INFUSION, not a concession.

You may think this sounds like a lot of work. And, in the beginning it may be. But, as you build the skill, the process becomes faster and easier.

When we stay with something (or come back to it – like walking away from a puzzle) the innovation, the next level thinking, the inspiration and creativity have space to evolve and formulate into something previously unimagined. You don’t takes things to places they’ve never been before by lowering your standards. Innovation comes from staying in the game until whatever it is you’re working on has been expanded exponentially.