Dec. 2

Acceptance comes when the pain of non-acceptance is greater than the alternative.

Acceptance, in all its many forms and depths, can be tough. Our minds don’t want to accept certain realities. Even though we may know we need to accept something in order to move forward, it can still feel difficult.

Instead of trying to accept, get more familiar with what it’s like to NOT accept.

You can’t force your mind to accept something. But you can help it see all the ways it resists acceptance. You can learn where it resists. Why it resists. And what that experience is like.

For example: You can choose to not accept the reality that you will die one day, but what would it be like to live that way? Perhaps you don’t treasure the time you have. Perhaps you don’t take your moments seriously enough. Perhaps you take things TOO seriously. Or maybe you suffer greatly in the end of your life when you’re hit with the reality of old age, sickness and death.

You can journal and reflect, asking the question: How does it serve me to not accept this situation? What would need to shift for me to be able to accept? What would it mean if I were to accept this situation?

Sometimes seeing the implications of not accepting is enough to start the journey toward acceptance.

Acceptance comes when the pain of non-acceptance is greater than the alternative.