What Does Acceptance Mean?
Acceptance does not mean that we like, want, choose, or support what we are resisting. When we resist, we create a struggle in ourselves that creates suffering.
Acceptance means choosing to allow something to be a part of our lives when we have no ability or control to change it at that moment. There may still be some pain and hurt, but some of the suffering will be alleviated. |
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Acceptance doesn't mean that we can't work on changing things. Remember, we are not giving up; we are only accepting the situation for what it is for right now, with the understanding that life changes all the time. Action can be practiced alongside acceptance. |
Practice Acceptance!
Acceptance is an active process that must be practiced consciously and on an ongoing basis. It takes time, personal strength, and effort to go down the path of resistance to acceptance.
Keep in mind that the path will be a bit of a roller coaster. Our emotions can have us jumping back and forth between acceptance and resistance, so be ready for the ride. As noted above, it's not that we accept or approve of the situation; it's that we have no control over it.
Keep in mind that the path will be a bit of a roller coaster. Our emotions can have us jumping back and forth between acceptance and resistance, so be ready for the ride. As noted above, it's not that we accept or approve of the situation; it's that we have no control over it.
Time can change lives in many ways as we grow. Sure, we are all accustomed to instant gratification, but some things just take time. Being patient, and moving forward with our life, while we develop our awareness, may assist in bringing us the changes that we seek. |
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When we truly accept something, our brains have the ability to change. We are amazing creatures in the sense that by changing our thoughts and emotions, our brains can create new neural pathways and networks that can help us through the process. |
The Process of Acceptance
No matter what our past, we have the power to change our future, but the first step in making any change is acceptance of the past and the present.
Acceptance is something that can be practiced in all areas of our lives. We can exercise it toward our own experiences or reality, others' beliefs or ideas, our appearance, our emotions, our health, our past, our thoughts, or toward other people — to name just a few examples.
Acceptance is something that can be practiced in all areas of our lives. We can exercise it toward our own experiences or reality, others' beliefs or ideas, our appearance, our emotions, our health, our past, our thoughts, or toward other people — to name just a few examples.
Accepting reality should be easy enough, but for many of us, it can be a struggle! It can be as simple as having clothes in the closet that we haven't worn for 15 years but are hanging onto anyway, or it could be staying in a relationship hoping it will get better when it's obvious that nothing is changing.
Facing reality can be difficult, but it is the first step in achieving both peace of mind and change. Once we realize and accept who and where we are, we can set new goals for moving forward. Learn more about "Accepting Reality" |
We all make mistakes, but more often than not, we do more damage trying to cover up the mistake than we would have done had we just come clean in the first place.
To fully accept who and where we are in life, we must identify and accept the role that we played in getting us to this point. It's easy to identify the positive things, but if we are not happy about something, we need to accept our part in that too. Learn more about "Admitting Mistakes" |
Many of us get stuck reminiscing the life we had hoped for, rather than experiencing the life we currently have. Life happens, things change, and dreams go unfulfilled; that's just how it goes sometimes. However, dreams can be revised to meet our new reality, and we can start again!
It's important that we accept that a specific dream we had maybe didn't come to pass as we had hoped, but another door is now wide open, waiting for us to create something new. Learn more about "Grieving Lost Dreams" |
Mistakes from our past can haunt us for a long time. The key is to forgive ourselves and move forward without carrying that burden any longer.
We can't change the past, but we can grow from it. Remember, there is nothing wrong with you. Your behavior may not be up to par; however, there is nothing wrong WITH you! Forgiving ourselves doesn't mean that we agree with what happened; it means we are no longer going to let it impact our lives. Learn more about "Forgiving Yourself" |
Regret is a negative emotional state that can lead to chronic stress, which in turn can create havoc in our minds and bodies. It is a feeling of loss about "what might have been," although it is initially an important emotion; if left unchecked, it can be harmful.
It's okay to have regrets, but it is not okay to live with them. We can stop them from having power over us by accepting them, and then moving forward. Learn more about "No Regrets" |
www.mindtools.com/pages/article/celebrating-achievement.htm Sometimes we find it much easier to acknowledge other people's accomplishments than to recognize our own. It likely traces back to our parents making it clear that "bragging" was discouraged. That's why so many of us get a little uncomfortable identifying our successes, even to ourselves.
Paying attention to and acknowledging our accomplishments will have a positive impact on our self-esteem, our motivation to achieve more, and on our overall happiness! Learn more about "Acknowledging Successes" |
Life is full of challenges, and we can either accept that or not. It's our choice. Struggles are a part of life, and it is vital that we accept and confront them. They aren't going away.
If we make a habit of embracing our struggle consciously, we will find that, in most cases, they aren't all that challenging. Make a practice of facing your challenges—even in failure—With full presence and awareness, you will find most challenges are not challenges at all. Nobody is coming to save us; we must assess what is happening, consider all of our options, then move forward. Learn more about "Confronting Struggle" |
We have all heard about how important it is to "love yourself." Is it really that important? Well, it is a key component of what many might consider a happy life.
We all require compassion, especially from our harshest critic, which is usually ourselves. Yes, we have flaws, and in some cases many, but if we can manage to accept those flaws as a part of who we are, we can hopefully see through them to appreciate all our great qualities. Learn more about "Self Compassion" |
It's easy to beat ourselves up. We tend to do it often. Sure, we make lots of mistakes, and we certainly haven't achieved all that we can achieve, but there is also a multitude of reasons for which we should be proud of ourselves every day.
As soon as we feel the need to criticize ourselves, we should stop for a moment and remember all the great things we have accomplished throughout our lives. Sometimes we need to pump up our own tires a bit. We deserve to be treated with respect, especially from ourselves! Learn more about "Accept Your Best" |
Fear not! Most people live their lives with fear every day. In fact, fear is what drives most of us. Fear that we can't pay the bills, fear for our jobs, fear for our relationships, fear of our children being hurt. Fear is everywhere!
Fear itself cannot be cured, but it can be overcome. In fact, we can use our fears to help us in many ways. Fear is the tool that we can use to identify the areas to which we must pay attention. Wouldn't it be great to live without fear? Learn more about "No Fear" |
So What Does All This Mean?
We are not ready to make progress in our lives until two things happen: We must be prepared to tell ourselves the truth, and we must accept the present moment for what it is.
Sure, there may be some uncomfortable moments, but it's the only way to move forward.
When we are not accepting of our situation, we are struggling with what our current reality is. This means that we are fighting a fight that we can’t win. The present moment is what it is. We can change what lays ahead, but we can't change what led us to where we are right now.
To stop struggling and start accepting, check out The Conscious Quest.
Sure, there may be some uncomfortable moments, but it's the only way to move forward.
When we are not accepting of our situation, we are struggling with what our current reality is. This means that we are fighting a fight that we can’t win. The present moment is what it is. We can change what lays ahead, but we can't change what led us to where we are right now.
To stop struggling and start accepting, check out The Conscious Quest.
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The methods described on this website are the authors’ thoughts. Just some thoughts, not all of them. There is simply not a single definitive set of instructions out there for personal development or for solving relationship issues. Go explore!
You may discover there are other methods and materials to accomplish the goal that you are trying to achieve.
It is not clinical in nature.
It is made available to you as self-help tools for your own use.
If you require professional advice, please seek it.
There are no representations or warranties (express or implied), about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability concerning the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on this website or at any ACP event.
Any use of this information is at your own risk.... or benefit. It depends on how you use it!
The sites that we link to via hyperlinks are not under our control. Those sites are responsible for their own content, we are simply offering you more information if you care to view it.
The methods described on this website are the authors’ thoughts. Just some thoughts, not all of them. There is simply not a single definitive set of instructions out there for personal development or for solving relationship issues. Go explore!
You may discover there are other methods and materials to accomplish the goal that you are trying to achieve.