Unconditional Self Acceptance
I’ve dedicated the last several episodes to a critical concept for lasting change. So often we staunchly refuse to accept ourselves as we because if we did accept our imperfect selves, wouldn’t we just sit on the couch eating the proverbial bon-bons while our brains turned into oatmeal?
Puppies, kittens and children prove us wrong on this one. Somehow, inspite of their serious and pervasive imperfections (which require a great deal of cleaning up I might add) we love them. We love them silly, and we even spend silly amounts of money on them. We want the best for them, and whenever we possibly can, we give it to them.
And as we love their imperfect selves, as we accept them as they are (uncontrolled bowels and all) they thrive and grow. They change at alarming rates. They learn, they teach, they LIVE.
What if you saw yourself as you see your favorite child or pet? What if when you looked at yourself in the mirror, instead of seeing your imperfections, you saw your beautiful soul? How would that change the way you treat yourself?
So there you have it. If you accept yourself as you are, you may not end up as soft and cuddly as Winston (pictured above), but you will thrive, and grow, and change, guaranteed.
Julie said,
July 18, 2008 @ 9:02 am
Hey Renee,
Can’t thank you enough for taking your time with this topic. It’s taking me a long time to get there, but I agree that it’s the one stumbling block that I need to see and to smile at patiently until it dissolves :).
Thanks, thanks, thanks.
Evon Taylor said,
July 18, 2008 @ 9:25 pm
Renee,
I want to say that this one was tricky for me. In fact, the first time I listened to it, it had the exact opposite outcome that was intended. I told myself that my loved ones love me because they don’t know the imperfections that I deal with. WHO WAS I KIDDING? They live with me everyday. And they haven’t kicked me out and they still hug me from time to time (teenaged boys).
Upon a second listening, I focused on when you asked, “Why do we talk to ourselves in ways that we wouldn’t dare talk to others?” This helped me to really think about the self talk that I engage in. Am I constantly reinforcing the good in me or the bad? I know that I need to be aware of the bad. However, God has placed a lot of good in me. Who am I to devalue and not appreciate it? I praise Him for He has ordered even this part of my life for good. Thank you for helping me remember that.
livingrainbowcolor said,
July 20, 2008 @ 11:57 am
My pet was EXACTLY the image I used when I did the guided journey. My long-dead collie was the easiest image to visualize unconditional love. He was standing on the floor, looking at me like he always did, and a split second later I had my arms around him, and could feel every hair on his body, and see each beautiful color in his coat.
The first time I did the journey, I couldn’t put myself in his place. The second time I wrapped my arms around myself. Now I can grab the visualized me and give me a tight squeeze and really start to feel the love. This is a wonderful wonderful transition which brings tears to my eyes.
Jess said,
July 21, 2008 @ 1:45 pm
Having self acceptance has just let me see a brighter soul that I thought couldn’t be done. I no longer pout or fret that I’m not losing weight as fast as I could but I just enjoy breathing and living and letting the weight loss take care of itself. Thanks Renee for this great concept!
Quinn said,
July 24, 2008 @ 7:49 am
That’s such a great concept! I haven’t made it that far in the podcasts yet (I started at the beginning a few weeks ago), but I’m glad I found this today. We’re having a lot of turmoil in our home right now & I’m falling back into old over-eating habits. I just had a baby 2 months ago & have been disgusted at the leftover roll around my middle. But, since listening to IOWL I’ve tried to view the roll as a beautiful memento of the blessing of being able to bear children. When I see it that way, the roll goes down in size but when I despise the roll, it grows. I’m so glad to be reminded of this today. I’m going to strive to love the roll & love myself today & I know that will make it a better day. Thanks Renee!
Ruth said,
July 25, 2008 @ 10:44 am
I’m so glad I found this site. I’ve been having real problems accepting the way I look right now. I thought I was doing great until I saw a photo of myself that someone took yesterday, and all the old negative feelings came surging back. Even though I’ve been working on myself, reading “Embracing Your Big Fat Ass” by Laura Banks and Janette Barber, and that’s helping me to be more self-accepting, it’s still a hard thing for me to look in the mirror and see myself. I’m definitely going to try your suggestion and look forward to positive results.
Lucy said,
September 10, 2008 @ 5:05 pm
It’s so true that pets and young children are all about unconditional love, and it’s a great way to explain the concept, and it really helps when trying to think about transferring some of that unconditional acceptance and love to ourselves.