The journey to self-acceptance is not an easy one.
And I kid you not.
Admittedly, it's not exactly a walk in the park when you have to embrace yourself whole and love yourself fully, coming from past experiences filled with pain and which made you doubt yourself and your worth in the process.
Along the way, those triggers can wreck havoc in your own mental health and over all-wellbeing. And that's exactly the space we want to avoid at all costs.
However, we must bear in mind this important reminder: self-acceptance is a super power. It's something that will allow us to push further in life, no matter what happens and it helps anchor us to what matters most at the end of the day and not be swayed by the judgments of others (and our own too).
Seeing the value of self-acceptance in our personal journey towards our own #bestmeever , I believe that commitment to personal growth and happiness is key. Something which can be made possible if one is totally clear with his own set of values, experiences and beliefs.
Comparing yourself with others make you feel something is lacking or something is wrong with you, which isn't exactly the case to begin with. Respect the fact that we all have different journeys and levels of success so there's no point in comparing. Learn to be comfortable in your own space as you grow at your own pace. Remember, wherever you are right now in life is where you're meant to be. And there's nothing wrong with that because that space is preparing you for better days ahead. P.S. Nobody's perfect so stop looking at others as if they were.
2. Acknowledge your progress
No matter how small it may seem at a glance, acknowledge every step forward that you've made because that brings you closer to your goals. Try to reflect on your journey and celebrate how far you've gone. You may not be at the finish line yet and that's ok. In time, with your commitment to yourself and your growth, you'll make it. Know that if you're doing the best that you can, with all that you have, that's more than enough. Learn to be comfortable with being a work in progress. You're doing a good job just being yourself.
3. Highlight your strengths
There's something special about you and it's up to you to turn your potential into something great. Do an inventory of your skills or what you're good at. What do people compliment you about? Work on them. Share them to the rest of the world. There will always be a space for you to share yourself and your gifts so never disregard your own valuable existence.
4. Practice self-compassion
Forgive yourself for whatever shortcomings you may had, for expectations about yourself that weren't met, for flaws that life may have pointed out to you in the process. Stop blaming yourself for things beyond your control. Remember, being unkind to yourself won't ever resolve your problem on hand. Working around your "flaws" and seeing the good within as you affirm yourself, will.
5. Do away with assumptions
Don't let your non-existent worries get in the way of loving yourself more. Remember, the only thing that's sure here is that you need to accept yourself fully so you can maximize your potential. All other fears, assumptions shouldn't matter. You can't control the reactions of others or the circumstances surrounding you. What you can control though is how you respond to them coming from your authentic, empowered self born from full self-acceptance. Note that you spend the same amount of energy focusing on what went wrong and not getting any better in the process, and in focusing on what can go right and allow your hope to pull you through. Choose what's best for you in the long run.
Self-acceptance is a choice we have to make every single day.
And hopefully, as you remember these tips, you commit to that fully.
Because you deserve to choose yourself over and over again.
As you are. And all that you will ever be.
