Self acceptance involves knowing who you are and embracing it no matter what anybody says. When you look at yourself in the mirror or think about yourself, do you feel that way? If not, here are some important words of wisdom that can help you to live a life of self-acceptance.
Believe in Yourself No Matter What Others Say
Religious leader, William J.H. Boetcher once said, "You can succeed if nobody else believes it, but you will never succeed if you don't believe in yourself." Sometimes you will meet people who are just plain negative all the time. They will say things such as, "You're never going to make it." or "you don't have the skills or the intelligence to pull it off," or even "you're reaching for the impossible."
That is where self-acceptance comes into play. If you believe deep down that you can break that addiction, succeed at a business venture, or even shed those unwanted pounds; whatever your goal, you can do it as long as you believe in your abilities and have the drive. As long as you believe that you can do it there is no need to get the approval or encouragement from others to fulfill your goals.
This doesn't mean that you should ignore everything that everyone has to say. At times you may receive some constructive criticism. In these situations it does not hurt to heed good advice because sometimes that advice may reveal something legitimate about you or your actions that you never noticed. The beauty of it is that you have the last say in what you feel is right for you.
Use Your Talents and Flaws to Excel
Self-acceptance means loving and using your talents as well as your weaknesses to achieve your goals. To illustrate, Gloria spent years in college, longer than she should have, attempting to find the perfect major that would determine her career. She changed from one major to the next, only to find that none of them was what she was looking for. What made her search so difficult? Gloria was a very quiet and introverted individual. She always felt that this was her weakness, why she wasn't getting anywhere in life. So she decided to apply for majors that incorporated the opposite of her traits. In other words, she applied to majors that involved plenty of talking and teamwork, in attempts to change her personality.
Finally fed up, Gloria began to embrace a life of self-acceptance. She knew that she was always good in English and was a great writer so she decided to major in English but minor in writing. This was perfect; this major would enable her to embrace both her talents and what she thought were her weaknesses. Gloria is now a writer which was perfect because she is able to do what she loves and it involves much more independence. She is finally at peace with herself. Once she embraced herself fully she became whole. Now she no longer looks at her quiet, introverted nature as a weakness, but strength.
As Ruth P. Freedman once said, "Change occurs when one becomes what she is, not when she tries to become what she is not." God made you the way you are for a reason; therefore use each of your character traits because what you thought was your greatest flaw may be one of your greatest assets. Use each of your traits as a stepping stone to greatness.
Use Mastery of Self Acceptance as Motivation
Self Acceptance also makes more room for you to expand. Once you have mastered the art of loving yourself for who you are, you may feel motivated to improve in areas where you are weak. If you are not a great speaker take a workshop and develop your skills. If you are not a great cook, get a cookbook from the library and practice making a new recipe. If you are shy and introverted gradually participate in small social settings and activities that involve interaction until you are comfortable with larger groups
Before you embark on these things, however, learn the art of self-acceptance. It will build your self esteem because you know that you have the ability to succeed and you have the talent. You will learn to embrace the amazing, and beautiful person that you are. Success will then produce more and more success.
