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Do you feel happy with yourself, just as you are? Do you
wish you could stop longing to be different? Do you need to learn to accept
yourself?
If you don’t feel happy with some aspect of your personality or your looks, you’re not alone. Despite the abundance of blessings we may possess, it is human nature to become preoccupied with what we don’t have. Celebrities and supermodels have proved that having an enviable appearance and thousands of worshippers doesn’t come without insecurity. It can be disheartening to learn that even people who seemingly ‘have it all’ – money, fame, looks – don’t necessarily feel happy with themselves. But there is an important lesson to be learned from this paradox; happiness has to come from within.
Learning to accept oneself is a challenging feat. With so many messages bombarding us on a daily basis, telling us what to eat, how much we need to exercise, what to wear, and how to act, it is difficult not to become focused on having nicer thighs, or better social skills, or a more sizzling love life. But chances are you have been given a lot of things to be thankful for: a great smile, natural ability in the kitchen, or a calming demeanor. Self-acceptance means taking both the positive and negative aspects of your personality and learning to live – and be happy – with them.
There’s an important distinction to be made between self-improvement and self-acceptance. If you’re too hard on yourself, if you’re constantly focusing on your weaknesses instead of your strengths, or if you don’t need an excuse to blame yourself for things that go wrong in your life, you need to learn to practice self-acceptance. Once you’ve learned to love the whole you, including the good, the bad, and the ‘ugly’ – you can move forward with self-improvement. None of us are perfect – but there’s a fine line between creating healthy and achievable goals for yourself and cutting into yourself whenever you make a mistake. Self-acceptance gives you the freedom to make mistakes.
