The Power of Acceptance
Whenever we use a word like acceptance, we usually conjure up images of passivity or resigning ourselves to the things we can’t change. But today I’d like to touch on a more subtle appreciation of the term.
Whilst self-acceptance is a powerful key to personal growth, it’s also very helpful when we apply the concept to accepting that we all experience negative thoughts and feelings that often fill our hearts and minds with anxiety, dread, worry and doubt. And why, you might ask, is this important? I’m referencing this issue because our natural instinct is to repress anything that causes us discomfort, particularly emotional issues that impact on our confidence, creativity and our ability to cope with challenges and obstacles. When we suppress our natural reactions, especially the negative ones, they inevitably resurface in our lives on a regular basis. Learning to pause when we feel uncomfortable or shaken by our doubts and fears can help us to adopt a more objective perspective. This is a very effective response to our fears and allows us to see things more clearly, to detach ourselves from the habit of anxiety and cut off the emotional fuel supply that feeds into our negative thoughts and feelings.
Accepting that it’s perfectly normal to harbour negative thoughts, but with the deeper understanding that we have the power to free ourselves from these deeply limiting influences, opens up the possibility of a revolution in how we respond to our stream of consciousness. The more we fight to suppress unwanted thoughts and feelings, the stronger and more persistent they become. By accepting them, we remove much of the resistance they bring in their wake. It becomes easier to release anything that doesn’t serve our highest interests. Integration of all parts of our nature is the key to a happier, healthier and more fulfilling way of living.
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