The Power of Self-Acceptance
Posted by Kathy Underwood on Wed, Jul 13, 2011 @ 05:00 AM
“Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door”. Emily Dickinson
While we are each “born innocent” as Sarah MacLachlan sang in Adia, most of us experience times of self-rejection with critical internal dialogue. Since we learned how to reject ourselves, how do we learn to accept ourselves again?
I believe that happens by defining what acceptance means to us personally and how we can live in a state of self-acceptance. Living in self-acceptance to me means that I am able to love me and be kind to all parts of me. I fully embrace my hopes, fears, thought, and feelings as who I am. I accept my successes and failures, my achievements and errors. It means that I am curious and compassionate towards myself as I journey through my life with all my dents and scars. If there are things I want, I go get them. I am able to work through the obstacles that might get in my way to my life that I fill-up with my passions and desires. I trust me to make good decisions for myself and I am able to take risks that put me out of my comfort zone, knowing that I will be okay. I show-up in my world with lightness, love, and excitement for the things to come, ready and open to fully live from who I am. What does self-acceptance mean to you?
Once we fully accept ourselves we no longer need to live in secrecy. We no longer need to hide the parts of ourselves that we think are defective or broken. We all make mistakes, do stupid things, hurt other people and hurt ourselves, but remember we are just people, human being doing the best we can. You lose by hiding yourself. I lose because I don’t get to know who you are.
Be willing to live your life fully, your way. Be willing to live your live differently. Let go of what no longer works to make space for what you do want in your life. Be the great person you are and are meant to be. Find someone to help you along the way because most of us can’t do this journey alone. Find a therapist or mentor that will help discover who you are and what you want in your life. If you would like to contact me, I would be happy to support you to know who you are and what you want in this one precious life we live in.
Photo: Taliesin
