Someone once said that self-acceptance is not about being happy with “everything about yourself,” it’s about being “okay” with most of you (e.g., being glad that there is more good than bad in you and that you feel more comfortable than uncomfortable with being you.) Put differently, instead of looking at how “bad” you are, self-acceptance helps you to look at yourself as “okay and on your way to becoming better. For example, instead of saying that you are a “0” on a scale of 1 to 10 you will say you are a 5 going for 6 or a 7 going on its way to become an 8,5. This means you do not see yourself as “bad,” useless or nothing, but being “good enough for now” with the potential to become a “wow” soon.
“But I am ugly” or “I am fat” you may say. Well, you can stick with that view, or you can accept that you are not what you want to be and then get started towards what you wish to become. The good news about true self-acceptance is that you do not have to become perfect or reach a certain level of maturity before you can accept yourself. No, you can do it today - as you are. All it takes is a decision.
Self-acceptance is also how you tell the world to see you because how you view yourself will in most cases influence or determine how others see you. It’s true. If you have a limp but can make people laugh, they will not see your limp, or a person with a limp, they will see and treat you as a person who makes them happy. In fact, if they see that you’ve accepted your limp they will not also accept your limp, they will respect you even more because you’ve accepted your limp.
All you need to do is use your inner strength to accept that being a 5 is better than being a 3, work on becoming the 7 or 7,5 you can be, and people will begin to treat you as a 6 in progress.
So, if you want the world to accept you, begin with accepting yourself and the world will follow.
Food for thought:
- Use your smile to change the world - just don’t allow the world to change your smile.
- Let your past make you better - not bitter.
- Watch your thoughts - they become words. Watch your words - they become actions. Watch your actions - they become habits.
- A good reputation is more valuable than good marks, fame & a lot of money.