Accepting yourself is one of the most powerful choices you can make. In my experience though, people resist the idea of accepting the darkest thoughts and corners of their personality because they feel it is a form of disempowering surrender.
I have watched professionals become effective leaders once they accepted their fears and insecurities. I have coached highly paid sales executives to acknowledge and learn from the negative noise in their heads. And I have seen others just like you and me find a calm graciousness within as they accept themselves as they are.
Acceptance is a thought process, not an action. And acceptance releases you from the hold the negative noise has on you.
Action – Start small if necessary but today identify and accept one of the negative thoughts or judgments you have about yourself. What will happen next may amaze you!
It is a nice way to start the day, thank you! I agree that a positive attitude brings positive life experiences. A good start is with ourselves. How do we deal with people that will not accept how we are? and will not support self-improvement? It’s hard to avoid these people at work. I can’t run away because I need my work. Thank You!
Nancy – I get the concept but can you provide an example of this put into action?
Sure.
The example I use most often comes from my own experiences. I am a professional speaker and often stand in front of audiences 30-300+ in number. Years ago, I would be extremely nervous (more than is helpful for a speaker) in the days/hours leading up to my event. Part of that was out of fear of what might ‘go wrong’ and that I might look foolish in front of others. Of course, that was my ego speaking, and it was causing turmoil. However, the moment I accepted that I had an ego, that it could be bruised and that at times I enjoyed getting the applause simply because it reinforced that ego … well, guess what happened?!