Why Self Acceptance Is So Important?
Acceptance is the first step.
When I first heard this statement, I have to admit I rolled my eyes on more than one occasion.
“Really?!?!! Don’t you think I’d accept myself if I knew how?” This was what I said under my breath. Let me take this further and say that on really special days, depending on my mood, I’d find myself internally saying, “What Einstein came up with that gem?”
I was deep in the throws of doing anything but accepting myself.
Statements like these always seemed to fall short on me. Though I loved the way some of them sounded, they only served as a reminder to me, that I just didn’t have what it takes to do anything really well, including accepting myself.
The first few times I watched The Secret, I loved it, but after I while, I started to roll my eyes at all the loving thoughts, because I had no idea how to manifest any of these things, even good feelings.
Jeez… I was really in trouble now.
One day, I was in a market in Durango, Colorado. (One of my favorite places by the way.) I saw a magnet that said, “Always Make New Mistakes.”
“I like it,” I said to myself and I bought it. It hung on my refrigerators for years before I actually internalized this. I did like the idea of it when I bought it, so I figured that was a start and I noticed I didn’t roll my eyes when I read it. That had to mean something about it resonated.
So back to self acceptance. How does one go about cultivating this commodity that seems to be in short supply on planet Earth?
Here’s how it worked for me. I found tapping and I just started doing it, every day. I had no idea what I was doing or exactly what it might be doing for me, but I did start to notice, that little bit by little bit, I started to feel better and my negative self talk seemed to be simmering down.
Pinch! Pinch! Really this tapping on this points on my body was really helping me? There’s no way it’s this simple.
Let me say it this way, with another saying that used to make me roll my eyes. “It’s simple, but it’s not always easy.” But it was pretty darn easy for me. I was so ready and willing for true lasting change that I was going to do whatever it took to get there. I’d try this one last thing and see what happened and lo and behold, my life really started to change.
I started noticing my inner critic by how hard I was on myself. I had a powerful adversary that existed inside of me, but this was a step in the right direction.
At first I thought, I might be getting worse, but I quickly realized that my awareness was heightened so what was unconscious for me, was becoming conscious and from this place, I could actually begin to shift some of my limited programming that I hadn’t been even aware of.
The quarter dropped. It started to make sense as to why I had felt so badly about myself for so long. I had this voice in my head that was relentless. It seemed to take every chance it could get and just pound me to dust. (I have a flare for the dramatic. Shocker! I came by it naturally.)
I have to say that this isn’t far from the truth though.
As I continued to work on whatever limiting beliefs were standing in my way, I started to see that Lack of Self Acceptance is the first layer of resistance. I needed to get through that before I could release whatever other limiting beliefs were below the surface.
Since lack of self acceptance is prevalent within many of us, learning self acceptance is learning a new skill or a new language.
We actually have to “practice” self acceptance. If you think about yoga. It’s often called a yoga practice. We practice piano, or guitar, or driving or pole vaulting and on and on.
It’s no different with self acceptance. It’s a practice and we’re not going to get it perfect. Thus the need to practice it.
As you go through your day, just consider, the idea, that self acceptance is a practice and if you like, tap along with the video included.
Here’s to Practicing Self Acceptance.
Marti