How to find self-acceptance

Do you get seduced by sirens, only to get badly burnt and discover people are disingenuous? Do you put others above yourself, who you feel are more intelligent? How can you acknowledge your own huge talents and gifts inside of yourself, if you have never opened your own wrapping?

Until then, you will stay convinced everyone else who is highly educated, or from a wealthier family, or better looking is:

A) Better than you.

B) Really confident.

C) Genuine.

D) Has integrity.

When you accept yourself, you will boost your self-confidence and take risks, as you will be in control of your life. Cultivating self-acceptance, means you don’t have to be 'good' or 'deserving', you just need to be 'you'.

When we accept ourselves, we are less defensive and more likely to take responsibility for our actions, and make constructive changes as we are not busy berating ourselves.  

When we have a lack of confidence, we are fuelled in part, by a self-critical component. Those who have confidence and accept themselves, are far less likely to go around putting others on a pedestal, and instead put themselves on a pedestal.

Here’s the thing, if you do not accept yourself you will live in denial and repress everything, which is a painful place to be.

No one governs your mind, body and soul. It is utter insanity to conform, to being like everyone else and look for approval. Start believing in yourself and doing esteemable things for yourself, rather than bending yourself like a pretzel, to be as you 'should be' to keep everyone else happy.

If you curtail to others, you do this at the risk of losing your sense of self, and staying stuck in the invisible role curtailing to everyone else’s dreams, visions and goals and becoming bitter and resentful deep down and/or in constant denial. Neither is a good look, and neither works, as you end up repressing your resentments and hiding your anger, and for many this results in depression.

People respect you, when you have self- acceptance and the courage to be yourself. Most importantly, you respect yourself.  Paradoxically, people are misguided in thinking that they will be rejected if they reveal their true selves. Why would anyone be happy to settle for a poor imitation of you, when they can have the real thing? After all isn’t the real thing always more valuable?

Say to yourself, over and over, 'I am more than enough exactly as I am.'