One of the most important lessons that I have learned in my life is that is is imperative to accept our whole self – that means the good and the not so good. Yes, we must even accept our lacking parts. The thing is, we all have them. None of us are perfect. Accepting the whole self isn’t always easy. I came slowly to this understanding, but somewhere in my early 40s I think I had the realization that what ever point that I am at in my journey, that’s my point – and that is ok.
When you accept your whole self – you can live a fuller, healthier, and more inspired life.
Accepting Your Whole Self
Accepting your whole self allows for truth. I think we all know that none of us are perfect, but when it comes to our bad habits we tend to go into one of two directions; denial and/or negative self talk. It’s easy to deny our shortcomings. No one likes to face their short comings head-on. It is natural to want to focus on our positives and to not deal with the rest. When we accept our whole self we are being brutally honest with ourself. That takes courage, but it allows us to be truthful with who we are.
Accepting your whole self allows for growth. When you quit beating yourself up for having lacking parts, you can simply acknowledge their existence. When you acknowledge your not-so-good parts, you can quit the negative self talk and replace that with positive affirmations. When all of this happens you naturally begin to move in the positive direction that you want.
Accepting your whole self allows for freedom. When you no longer compare your journey to those around you, you gain a confidence to head out and try new things. I was 43 when I decided to enter and train for a half-marathon. I was not a runner – I walked it. I was not an athlete. I had not ever completed an athletic event prior to this one. But it was something that had been on my mind for many years, I finally decided that my speed would not matter as long as I trained and gave it my best shot. It was hard work, I was slow, and I made it!
Accepting your whole self allows us to embrace our lives. This is the most important thought – when we can embrace all that we really are, we reach self-love. Self-love naturally leads us to take better care of ourselves as self love promotes self care. Self care includes eating nutritious food, moving more and getting exercise, getting adequate sleep, time for meditation, and nurturing loving relationships. Isn’t this what we really want for ourselves?
Life is a journey. When you accept your whole self – you can live a fuller, healthier, and more inspired life.
