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If you want to be accepted, accept yourself. If you want to be acknowledged, acknowledge yourself. If you want to be discovered, discover yourself.
We can spend a lot of time thinking about what we want, wishing our lives were different in one way or another, hoping that someone will come along and discover us, fix us, make us feel whole or in some other way validate us.
The fact of the matter is we have the power within us. When we learn to love and accept ourselves as we are, we become amazing companions to ourselves and in the process those other things that we had been wishing for start to come our way. This is a simple idea, but it can be difficult. Looking at ourselves and those things we don’t like about ourselves is scary and it takes courage. But it is so worth going through the process because what awaits on the other side is freedom.
Last week I interviewed professional speaker, Jason Freeman, for an episode of the Discovering Courage podcast. Jason’s story is incredible. Born with Cerebral Palsey Jason has a pronounced speech impediment and his body moves differently from most peoples. Early on he started to compare himself to others and developed strong self-hate. He was miserable and even attempted suicide. But he was compelled to turn his life around. He did this by going inward, doing self-reflection and above all he stopped beating himself up. He started to accept his imperfections and think of them with loving kindness. And now the way he speaks, something he’d seen as a curse before, he now sees as a gift and so do his audiences who are inspired by him to take their own small courageous steps toward self-acceptance.
What are you looking to others to provide you, bring you, or give your permission to do? What small step can you make to take back the power that is within you? If you want to be accepted, accept yourself. If you want to be acknowledged, acknowledge yourself. Look inward to yourself and take that small courageous step!
Patricia Brooks is a life experiences coach, speaker, and the author of Growing Bold: How to Overcome Fear, Build Confidence, and Love the Life you Live. She is the host of the Discovering Courage Podcast where each week she explores how ordinary people have managed to live extraordinary lives. Patricia is currently living in France, pursuing her dreams.
Photo Credit: Sharon McCucheon