June 14, 2020

From Codependent No More:

“Acceptance does not mean adaptation. It doesn’t mean resignation to the miserable way things are. It doesn’t mean accepting or tolerating any sort of abuse.”

“In a state of acceptance we are able to respond responsibly to our environment. In this state we receive the power to change the things we can.”

“Acceptance is ultimate paradox: we cannot change who we are until we accept ourselves the way we are. Here is an excerpt from Honoring the Self on self-acceptance:

… If I can accept that I am who I am, that I feel what I feel, that I have done what I have done — If I can accept it whether I like all of it or not — then I can accept myself. I can accept my shortcomings, my self-doubts, my poor self-esteem. And when I can accept all that, I have put myself on the side of reality rather than attempting to with reality. I am no longer twisting my consciousness in knots to maintain delusions about my present condition. And so I clear the road for the first steps of strengthening my self-esteem…

So long as as we cannot accept the fact of what we are at any given moment of our existence, so long as we cannot permit ourselves to fully be aware of the nature of our choices and actions, cannot admit the truth into our unconsciousness, we cannot change.

It has also been my experience that my Higher Power seems reluctant to intervene in my circumstances until I accept what He has already given me. Acceptance is not forever. It is for the present moment.”

Summarized:

Acceptance doesn’t mean adaptation or resignation to the miserable way things are. It doesn’t mean tolerating any sort of abuse. It means finally opening our eyes to things as they are, so we can respond responsibly, tapping into our power to change the things we can. Acceptance means awakening.