THE ART OF SELF-ACCEPTANCE

Are you struggling to bring the many parts of your inner world together? You’re not alone. Maintaining acceptance for self and others is an art, not science.

Self-acceptance is the ability to accept ourselves for who we are rather than who we wish to be. It is a vital tool for everything from sustaining healthy relationships to positively influencing those around you. It is easier to accept others as they are when we accept ourselves. We give them the room to find their own path and realize their own truths when we embrace our own. 

We are actually at odds with ourselves when there are aspects of ourselves that we don't accept. And guess who loses when both sides in a war are actually aspects of yourself? When you realize that lasting improvement and growth can only occur within the bounds of self-acceptance, you will begin to embrace others and yourself for who you are and where you’re at mentally, emotionally, spirituality and physically in the absence of self-condemnation. 

How To Practice The Art of Acceptance 

1. Over-stand Yourself Without Bias: Take some time to figure out who you are, what you value, and what you enjoy and dislike. Find some peaceful time without any distractions to check in with yourself and what your heart truly desires, without criticizing your inclinations.
   
   
2. Get Comfortable With The Fact That You Cannot Know Everything: We don't need to have an opinion on everything that happens to us, others, or the world around us. In fact, it's often better if we don't because we'll be more open to new ideas, experiences, and viewpoints. Every new experience provides a new way to participate in life, and every new person we meet provides an opportunity to learn new things and explore new perspectives. 
   
   
3. Trust Your Intuition: Trust that you know all that you need to know for your individual life path. Someone else may be more knowledgeable in other divisions but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they know more than you do. That simply means that they know all that they need to in relevance to their own personal journey. That’s like comparing a mathematician to a scientist, get it?  Get comfortable not knowing more than you need to know and trust your inner guidance. 
   
   
4. Try Not To Make Comparisons: When we compare ourselves to others and other individuals to some arbitrary standard then "Comparison becomes the thief of joy," as once stated by Theodore Roosevelt. He meant that if we are continually comparing ourselves to others, we will never be satisfied because there will always be someone who is wiser, or wealthier. We must recognize that everyone is treading their own path so it’s supposed to look different. 

We don't have to participate in all of the negative stories, beliefs, or prejudices that tell us we aren’t good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, tall enough, skinny enough etc. We can choose to reject those notions and adopt positive mentalities and belief systems about who we are and our significant impact in this world everyday. At some point in our lives we are all students and teachers and that in itself is a life purpose; to be a teacher to another is a positive community impact. The art of self-acceptance is necessary for the blossom of healthy boundaries in love, universal growth, and endless harmony. When we love and accept ourselves for who we are and who we are becoming, that will reflect outwardly, allowing us to have acceptance, deep compassion and an over-standing of others. Choose self-acceptance over self-negligence.